Beast Within
by goofnutgav
Summary: War never changes, a quote that had been around since the beginning of civilization and something I knew far too well but I didn't expect to die and find myself inhabiting the body of a gray wolf in a new world, where Carnivores and Herbivores live in a strained society and death lurks just around the corner but I will survive because, for me, war never changes.
1. Prologue

The Wasteland was always changing as settlers from the Capital Wasteland and outside of it, such as the Pitt, the Cinc, the Decent Lakes, the Commonwealth, Richmond, and even as far as New Vegas had traveled to the once small town of Megaton and the place had expanded and grown for the first in decades as they moved there to have a fresh start. Well, that was one of the reasons since the biggest one of all was because of one of the town's residents, Connor Monroe.

The Lone Wanderer, the Crazy Kid From Vault 101, the great Emancipator, Fallen Steel, the Courier, and some had even gone as to call him the Messiah for all his efforts in the entire Wasteland after his long adult years in the Wastes...all titles he had gained after experiencing hell and mentally scarring trauma many times over.

He was simply a man who had done what he thought was right but many Wastelanders saw him as a legend for bringing clean water to thousands of people, traveling all over the Wasteland to end many conflicts, and dismantled an entire regime almost single-handedly while also taking back the Hoover Dam with the help of the NCR. The man would walk out of Megaton's gate with his dog and return weeks, even months later from some unknown location.

Sometimes, it was in DC and it was also across the country in some places and even though he wouldn't say what he did, stories of a helpful stranger with his dog would come into town with caravans a few days later.

Connor Monroe, who walked out of his vault completely terrified of the chaos and death that broke out inside, had become nothing more than a man that had been broken by the long years of hellish tragedy and despair the Wasteland had to offer and became nothing more than someone just drifting from place to place without any clear destination whatsoever. It was not until one day, thirteen years after he stepped out of the Vault that things completely changed and his empty and dead life took an unexpected turn.

* * *

I kept floating through the darkness with a serene expression, not knowing how I got here but a faint memory popped up of me laying on the side of the road bleeding out from multiple gunshots while Dogmeat was on his side completely lifeless and covered in blood after getting his head blown off during the shootout that killed us both.

I chuckled inwardly at the unexpected turn of events that had just happened, recalling Dogmeat jumping into the line of fire to save me from getting killed but I wound up being shot many times from every fractured psychotic faction in the Wasteland that decided to team up and make me pay for destroying their groups over the years. After experiencing hell and witnessing so much horror and death, I wound up dying in a ditch alone after living my adult life alone and couldn't help but see the irony in it since I never thought it would end like this.

_'At least now I can finally rest after years of hell and conflict...dad, mom, I'll be joining you soon,' _I thought as I closed my eyes and prepared to cross over to the other side but something happened that took me off guard.

I felt the strangest feeling of falling from a long height and the next thing I knew, I heard the sounds of people talking faintly with footsteps passing by every now and again while I slowly opened my eyes to see that I was laying a bed in an enclosed space with curtains on the right.

I carefully sat up and noticed that something was very wrong when I discovered that my senses appeared to be far sharper than before, my vision could see in the dark without a Cat's eye drug and I noticed a protrusion just below my eyesight, causing me to reach up to feel what it was when I saw that my hands and arms were covered in grayish-blue hair while my nails were long and sharp like claws.

My eyes widened at what I was seeing and I looked down to see that I was wearing a white t-shirt and red pants, then I moved the front of the shirt away to see my chest had more hair covering it but it was in a cream color while I felt something move behind me, forcing me to look back and I spotted a bushy tail that had the same blue color as the rest of the hair that was covering me. I didn't know how to react by what I was seeing and I started feeling the protrusion below my line of sight and found out that it was my face, only it had grown out into a muzzle of some kind and the sensation of my ears folding back told me that I wasn't human anymore.

I was freaking out at first but I took a deep breath to calm down and analyze the situation, thinking about how I had died and woke up in a new body before coming to the conclusion that I had reincarnated and I needed to stay alert since there was no telling what this place I woke up in had to offer. Suddenly, the curtains opened and a bright light shone in which forced me to squint my eyes as a figure peered in.

"Wakey-wakey, Legosi! It's time to get up so that you won't be late for class!" a male voice announced cheerfully, then I got a good look at the figure and stared at him in confusion when I saw that he looked like a canine of some kind but he appeared to be a different breed than Dogmeat and I noticed that he was also wearing the same set of clothes I was.

"What, do I have something on my face?" the humanoid animal asked and as I snapped out of it, I realized that he had an accent that was similar to the samurai I met on Mothership Zeta but my mind processed that he was speaking in a different language and I could understand it perfectly.

"Sorry, I barely got any sleep last night," I muttered while I was trying to understand that I am having a conversation with a sentient humanoid animal that wasn't trying to kill me.

"Heh, got a lot on your mind? Anyway, better get a shower while you still can before first period begins," the dog with gold fur and floppy ears told me and he left my line of sight until I slowly peered out to see that I was in a room that had other beds with curtains and there were other humanoid canines that were chatting or yawning as they were fully dressed in uniforms that were white button-down shirts, ties, gray vests, striped pants, and brown loafers with laces.

I got out of bed and stood up but I had noticed that I was taller than everyone else and as the creatures greeted me, I ignored them and headed to an open door that led to what appeared to be a bathroom of some kind. I entered the room and closed the door as I took in what I was seeing, the bathroom looking too clean and far different than the ones I was familiar with back in the Wastes while the shower was something I had never seen before.

I was astonished by how advanced the shower looked and remembered that those creatures outside were probably waiting for me so I decided to take off the shirt and pants, then I cautiously entered the shower and realized that I had no idea how to turn it on. I kept examining the shower for any way to turn it on and I saw a pair of handles that looked like they would operate the cold and hot water, then I turned the one on the right and promptly yelped with a startled expression as icy water started spraying me.

I frantically scrambled for the handle on the left and turned it while shutting off the right one, only to yell in pain as the water turned scalding hot and I nearly slipped as I fumbled around and turned the right handle until the water became pleasantly warm. I sighed in relief and looked to see bottles of some kind with letters on it that looked like something out of a Chinese spec ops manual, though I was able to understand what they said due to my advanced knowledge of the Asian language and saw that they were objects that were each made for a specific canine.

I grabbed the bottle that said it was made for a gray wolf and used the soap to lather up my new fur and tail really good until they were covered in foam and I used the showerhead to wash it all off until I was done and left the shower feeling fully refreshed for the first time in years. I used a towel and a hairdryer to dry myself off until my fur fluffed up and headed to the nearby mirror to see what I looked like after wrapping the towel around my waist.

I looked at my reflection and saw that I was a tall lanky canine of some kind with the cream color going up from my chest before covering my new muzzle and my form was toned with muscle, but my eyes and facial features held a feral look to them, which told me that this body must be some kind of mixed-breed from different species. As I examined myself, I thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye and quickly looked to see that nothing was there but I was fully alert when I felt a presence near me.

_"Hello, can you hear me?" _a deep male voice with an echoey undertone asked and I turned before leaning back at the sight of a hovering translucent figure that looked exactly like the creature I was inhabiting.

"What the hell?" I gasped softly and the figure's eyes widened before he let out a sigh of relief.

_"Thank God, you can see and hear me...who the hell are you and why am I like this?! Why did you steal my body?!"_ the creature demanded with his voice laced with panic and terror.

Before I could respond, someone knocked on the door and the dog from before shouted that I needed to hurry up before his footsteps faded and I looked back at the figure.

"Look, I'm just as confused as you are so since this is your body, it means that you know this new world far better than I do so I'm going to need you to guide me through this before I say or do something stupid that causes problems for us, okay?" I offered and the creature looked hesitant while he leaned forward slightly in a slouched position and reluctantly nodded.

_"Okay, and I-I'm sorry for shouting at you...I'm just freaked out about all of this since I woke up and discovered that no one can see or hear me and that I can fly through walls while someone is possessing my body," _the creature apologized quietly and his posture told me that he was really insecure and anti-social while also looking scared from his new predicament.

"Hey, I'm sure we can figure this out but I have no idea what this place is and I'm completely out of my element so let's work together in solving this situation we found ourselves in," I reassured and the creature looked away shyly while I smiled.

_"Sure...and my name is Legosi," _Legosi introduced as he bowed and I was confused by what he's doing but I decided to ignore it and try to mimic what he was doing.

"Nice to meet you, Legosi. My name is Connor and I hope we work well together," I said once I bowed awkwardly and felt embarrassed that I might've offended him.

_"Connor? That name sound's Western so you might be from the States, though you should hurry up and get to my classes because first period is about to start," _Legosi reminded me and I nodded as I headed to the door and opened it to see that there was a folded up uniform sitting on a chair next to the door and the canines were gone.

I removed the towel from my waist and put on the clothes with Legosi looking away before I adjusted the tie and rolled up the sleeves while I grabbed the backpack that had his name on it and headed to the exit until I left the room, looking around and seeing animals of many different sizes, shapes, and species walking around while either chatting or holding strange rectangular objects as they held them up to their ears or tapped their thumbs on them.

Legosi gave me directions to his first class and I walked down the hallway as he warned me to watch my step, then I understood what he meant when I spotted tiny mice wearing female uniforms that consisted of a white shirt with a tie and a skirt, walking next to the walls and I made sure not to step on one of them by accident as I headed to the classroom.

* * *

A/N Hello and welcome to my first crossover story of Beastars and Fallout, where the Lone Wanderer/Courier finds himself inhabiting Legosi's body after dying in a shootout. I know the Lone Wanderer and the Courier are two different people but I decided to make them into one person entirely since I love the Tale of Two Wastelands mod and that I was inspired by a Beastars fic where a human soul inhabits a doe.

As for Legosi being some kind of spirit, I took some inspiration from the Quantic Dreams game Beyond Two Souls where he's tethered to Connor but unlike Aiden, Legosi won't be able to interact with anything like sending someone to the ground or smashing objects so he's only going to be a guide for Connor as he adapts to this new world he been thrown into and it would be funny to see him trying to use a smartphone but would have extreme difficulty trying to get it to work since it would be something he has never seen before.

Well, let me know what you think and stay tuned.


	2. chapter 1

It had been two months since I woke up in Legosi's body and I spent most of that time looking up the history of this world while also seeing that things were far different than the Wasteland, finding out that this world had no humans in it and pre-war animals had evolved into anthropomorphic creatures along with an event like the Great War never happening. I also found out that I was in a high school that was on a large hill above a city and that the country I was in is called Japan, then I was informed by Legosi that I am supposed to work as a stagehand in a drama club by fixing and moving the spotlights.

I had headed to the building where the props and actors were at and made sure to put up a good act by doing what Legosi usually does while learning who the actors and stagehands are, something I wasn't expecting my life to turn out since I was focused on surviving in a world where everyone and everything wanted you dead. As time passed, I had adjusted to this strange new world but there was one of the actors that I still couldn't figure out...a red deer named Louis and even though he was an asshole at times, there was something about him that I kept an eye on him since he was a puzzle that I couldn't figure out.

Now, I had woken up and got ready for class, the day passing by until lunch when I heard the news that a murder had happened inside the school last night and I was inside the cafeteria building while leaning against the wall next to the entrance where three girls were chatting about it outside at a food stand.

"Predation? Oh my God...the victim was Tem from the Drama Club?" one girl asked after she left the building.

"No way," Els whimpered quietly as she looked down and my interest peaked as I recognized the name and peered out slightly.

"Els, he was in your club?" another girl inquired and Els nodded.

"He was practicing with us just yesterday," Els answered and I frowned as I recalled Tem and looked up to see Legosi appearing crestfallen at hearing the news.

"The killer is definitely one of the carnivore students," a girl told them and they looked at something out of my line of sight with nervous expressions.

"No one knows for sure if it was a student," Els spoke up hesitantly.

"But we do know that it was a carnivore," the girl holding the paper pointed out.

"I know I shouldn't say this but this is ironic, to think that someone in the Drama Club would get torn apart in such a horrific manner," the first girl stated uneasily.

"That Club was supposed to be living proof that carnivores and herbivores can get along with each other," the parrot girl explained while the girl holding the paper looked at Els.

"You have to be very careful, Els, because the Drama Club has a gray wolf, doesn't it?" she inquired and Els looked away in response while the parrot girl grimaced.

"I don't feel like eating anymore," the girl informed them as she started walking away.

"Me neither," the first girl agreed as she and the one holding the newspaper followed her.

I looked away and furrowed my eyes in thought while I was heading to my next class, thinking about what I've learned while Legosi floated beside me.

_"Tem...I can't believe he's fucking dead," _Legosi muttered and I looked at him in concern while he was hunched over.

"I'm sorry about your friend," I apologized quietly and Legosi looked at me.

_"You don't have to apologize..." _Legosi told me and he looked away while we were heading to the classroom.

I frowned at that and thought about Tem, recalling that he was a shy kid who had a crush on Els but the tragic thing is that he would never be able to tell her how he felt so I remembered the letter he was too scared to give her and decided to hand it to Els since it's what Tem would've wanted.

* * *

As the day went by, I followed Legosi's schedule like clockwork and now I was in the props building while I was putting away Legosi's bag and shutting his locker while Kai and another stagehand were chatting.

"Shit, this is bad," Kai said and the male cat with black fur nodded.

"Yeah, the performance is in two weeks, right? That means someone's gotta replace Tem," the cat stated.

"Yeah," Kai agreed as I turned around and headed to the door.

"Then again, I don't know if we should go through with the performance if one of our members is dead," the cat pointed out as I left the locker room and headed to the rafters where the spotlights were at.

I arrived at the spotlights in the practice room and started working on them while Legosi was watching me, then I looked down at the actors with a stoic gaze as Els and a few actors looked up at me hesitantly with nervous expressions but I was used to seeing something like that so it didn't bother me just as the double doors opened and Sanou, the head of the Drama Club, came in with a clipboard.

"Alright, everyone, gather around because we have some important news to talk about. You all probably already know this, but something terrible happened at school yesterday...one of our actors, Tem, has..." Sanou trailed off when he looked up from his clipboard and saw the herbivores and carnivores in two single groups across from each other as they glared at each other.

"Chief, Tem was only social with the carnivores in this club," Ellen stated harshly and Sanou looked taken aback.

"Yes...a-and?" Sanou inquired hesitantly since the air was thick with tension.

"So, you're suspecting us," Bill said with a frown.

"I'll bet one of you bastards was jealous that Tem got the role," Ellen accused and Bill didn't appear to take kindly to that.

"Hey, fuck you because you got a lot of damn nerve accusing us! You herbivores are all the same, one of you dies by a single carnivore and then the rest of us get screwed over!" Bill exclaimed in outrage.

"What, are you going to bite me?! Don't you know that carnivores who hunt herbivores are expelled from school?!" Ellen spat hatefully and Bill started trembling in rage.

"That's fucking bullshit because you're not even worth getting my mouth bloody!" Bill shouted angrily as I decided to leave, finishing up on the spotlights and climbing down the ladder when everyone spotted me trying to sneak out.

"Legosi, you were friends with Tem, right? Do you know something that we don't?" Bill questioned and I turned around while I had my hands in my pockets, contemplating ignoring the question and leaving but I decided to humor him.

"I think he had a lot of regrets and unfinished business he still wanted to settle," I replied as I saw that a squirrel student was looking up at me from a distance and holding up a bag of nuts in a gesture for me to help her open them.

"H-How could you possibly know that?" a flamingo asked in confusion as I started walking to where the squirrel was standing.

"Anyone would feel the same way if they were to die unexpectedly in their lives...anyone would be thinking about the stupid things they did in life and regret never going back to change them," I stated with a melancholy undertone as I remembered witnessing my father James dying and feeling helpless as he told me to run, then I stopped in front of the squirrel and knelt before taking out the nuts and breaking the hard shells with my hand until I gave them back to her.

"Here," I said and she smiled hesitantly as she took the nuts.

"Th-Thank you," the squirrel told me meekly as I stood up, and I gave her a single nod while I turned to look at Els.

"There's one thing I wanted to ask you, Els...how are you coping with Tem's death?" I asked stoically and Els flinched under my intense gaze.

"Huh? M-Me?" Els stuttered nervously as I stared at her.

"Are you holding up okay?" I clarified and Els gripped her arm as she tensed up.

"W-Why are you asking me? I haven't even talked to Tem-kun that much...I..." Els trailed off and I kept staring at her for a few seconds until I nodded in satisfaction and turned around to leave.

"I'll be going now, Chief," I told Sanou, who looked uncertain by what just happened and he cleared his throat before encouraging me to go with a wave as I left the practice room.

* * *

I had left the practice room and entered the men's locker room until I opened Legosi's locker and grabbed his bag, then I adjusted the straps on the backpack while I opened Tem's locker and grabbed the sealed letter as I felt uncomfortable going through a dead person's personal effects.

_"Connor, you talked about how people regret the things they did in life...but I noticed that there was a slight change in your tone of voice so do you have any regrets?" _Legosi asked and I paused as horrific memories of my experiences in the Wasteland came flooding back.

"All you need to know is that I've done things I'm not proud of, so let's leave it at that," I suggested just as I heard footsteps and looked at the entrance to see Bill, Sanou, and a reptile student entering the locker room until they saw me.

"Hey, Legosi, you heading back to the dorms already?" Sanou asked as I shut the locker door and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm heading out now but I just wanted to let you know that Light A is already done," I replied as I passed him and the others.

"Thank you, so have a good night," Sanou said and I raised a hand in response as I was about to leave.

"H-Hey!" Bill exclaimed suddenly and grabbed my arm, which forced me to stop and I struggled to ignore the powerful urge to hip toss him to the ground out of sheer reflex as I looked back at him.

"What?" I inquired in confusion but I had a suspicion that he knew I looked through Tem's locker.

"You opened Tem's locker, didn't you?!" Bill accused sternly as the reptile opened Tem's locker.

"This one, right? What the hell were you doing?" the reptile questioned and I sighed as I removed my arm from Bill's grip.

"You were acting pretty odd at the meeting but, honestly, you're acting way too suspicious...so, what were you doing going through your dead friend's locker?" Bill inquired with narrowed eyes and I frowned as I took off my backpack, unzipping it and pulling out a book.

"I was getting back the book he borrowed a while back and he told me that he left it in his locker," I lied smoothly while putting the book back into the backpack and zipping it up as Sanou raised his free hand in a placating gesture.

"Okay, let's not fight and take Legosi's word for it...Legosi, you know I don't suspect you of anything but you would be in more than a lot of trouble if an herbivore saw what you were doing so you need to be more self-conscious about the fact that you're a large carnivore," Sanou lectured cautiously and I rubbed the back of my neck as I turned around.

"Don't worry, I'm used to animals alienating themselves from me for the slightest bad thing that happens...anyway, I've got something important to take care of so I'll be seeing you tomorrow," I said as I put the backpack on and headed to the door.

"H-Hey, you're being fucking rude to the Chief!" Bill protested in disbelief just as I left the men's locker room and exited the building.

I walked down a stone path and stopped at a bench as I looked up and saw the moon, just as Legosi gently flew next to me and we watched the night sky.

_"It's a full moon tonight," _Legosi pointed out as I felt calm and peaceful from seeing the big white orb in the sky, then I thought about Tem and my eyes softened while I recalled taking everything for granted back in Vault 101.

"Tem...I might not have known you as long as Legosi does, but I'll make sure you have no more regrets," I declared quietly as I narrowed my eyes and continued walking to the female herbivore dorm.

I arrived at the dorm in a couple of minutes and hid behind a bunch of trees as I saw Els and another female student chatting about me, then they separated and Els was about to head inside the building when I started moving and disturbed some bushes.

Els froze up at the sound of the bushes rustling and she slowly looked back to see me moving away from behind the tree and into her line of sight, then she started trembling with her eyes wide in terror as I stepped out of the shadows and the dim light shining down on my large frame made me look menacing as she started backing up with shaky breathing.

"Stay back..." Els whimpered as I got closer and she kept backing up, only the back of her right foot hit the bottom front steps and she looked back for a second until she made eye contact with me again.

"You're usually friendly but when you're hungry, I'm food right?" Els questioned and pulled out a pair of scissors from her pocket as she held them up in a threatening manner and added, "Don't you dare look down on me because Tem and I, we're so much more than you-"

Els was cut off when I grabbed her hands holding the scissors and she shrieked in fear while she closed her eyes, only I gently pulled the scissors out of her hands and took out the letter.

"Here, take it," I said quietly and she opened her eyes to see the letter before I clarified, "It's a letter addressed to you from Tem."

Els hesitantly took the letter while I gave her the scissors back and she looked at the letter in confusion.

"I was waiting until you were alone so I could give it to you," I explained and Els looked up at me with an expression of realization before we headed to two benches and sat down.

"All this time, you were trying to give this to me?" Els asked and I stared at the ground.

"Yeah, I knew Tem never gave it to you...I'm sorry, maybe this isn't the best time for me to give it to you while things are still raw," I said and Els looked at me.

"No, I'm grateful that you did," Els reassured and I hummed slightly.

"Oh...I'll see you tomorrow," I told her as I stood up and started walking back to my dorm but the sound of Els quickly standing up made me stop.

"Legosi, wait...before this, I said some terrible things about you in the girl's locker room, even though you're such a kind wolf. I'll take it all back tomorrow so can you forgive me?" Els asked while I just stood there.

"You don't have to do that because it's fine," I refused with a stoic expression.

"But why?" Els inquired in surprise.

"Because Tem wouldn't have been too thrilled if everyone found out about his first crush after he died," I pointed out and Els sighed.

"Even so, I still feel guilty for what I said about you," Els stated as I looked down at the ground thoughtfully.

"I'm pretty used to it, so it's okay...I've always lived most of my life with some animals showing hate and animosity at me," I admitted just before I continued walking back to my dorm and Legosi floated down next to me as he stared in concern, but I ignored it because I wasn't interested in someone giving me pity.

After a night's sleep and spent most of the day in class, I had heard about Tem's memorial that was set up in front of the broken doors leading to the crime scene and I had headed over to pay my respects until I was currently sitting in front of the memorial with my legs folded under my rear and my hands resting on my knees in a Japanese prayer as I stared at Tem's photo with a solemn gaze while a memory of chatting with Tem appeared in my mind.

* * *

_"Dammit, I just don't have the courage to give it to her...I'll try again later," Tem sighed as he put the letter away and closed his locker while I looked at him._

"_Are you still too scared to give it to her?" I questioned and he jumped before he saw me and laughed sheepishly as he waved it off with a sweat-drop._

"_Well, the timing felt off but it's okay because when the time comes, I will tell her how I feel!" Tem declared with his eyes narrowed in determination and seeing that reminded me of when I used to be determined to find my father after he left the Vault._

_"If you're so sure, then you better tell her while you still can because life's too short and you just have to enjoy the little things," I reminded him and Tem laughed._

_"You always were weird, Legosi, but I don't think that's a bad thing since it makes you unique," Tem told me until we headed to the door and went to leave the building._

* * *

_'Tem, what were your last thoughts when you died? If you can hear me, I just wanted you to know that I gave it to her,'_ I thought as the sounds of cheering and loud giggling from a crowd of girls broke out behind me, then I saw Louis appearing beside me with flowers and he placed them down next to the other ones as he kneeled and closed his eyes which caused me to stare at him.

_"His gestures, his voice, his gaze, Louis-senpai knows how to keep them under control. He's one year older than me, but he's the star actor and the most popular animal in school," _Legosi commented next to me with an expression of slight admiration, but I didn't respond to that since I didn't want to look like I was crazy.

"What are you looking at?" Louis asked suddenly and I instantly turned my head away as I felt embarrassed for being caught staring.

"Sorry about that," I muttered awkwardly with a sweat-drop and Louis scoffed.

"Is a lack of manners a common trait among wolves? You're the dog from the stage crew...good, 'cause I have something for you to do so follow me," Louis told me as he stood up and started walking, causing me to follow suit as I felt confused by what he wants me to do.

"Okay," I said as we went down the hallway and left the main building until we arrived at the props building, then Louis escorted me to his office where a male goat named Zoe was waiting.

"L-Louis-senpai," Zoe greeted nervously as we entered the room.

"You're going to help me fix his act by tomorrow," Louis told me as I shut the door and shot him a confused look.

"What do you mean by that?" I inquired as I looked at him.

"Zoe's replacing Tem and we decided it during yesterday's meeting, right?" Louis suggested to Zoe and the goat gulped.

"Yes," Zoe replied uneasily as Louis looked at him.

"It's ironic that we should meet here, Water Spirit of Odie," Louis recited with a gravelly tone, causing Zoe to look at him strangely.

"Huh?" Zoe wondered in confusion and Louis stared at him.

"We're rehearsing, now give me Odie's line," Louis demanded calmly and Zoe flinched while I frowned slightly.

_'Zoe's a middle-schooler and he just got the role yesterday so he wouldn't be able to memorize those lines so fast,' _I thought as Zoe looked down.

"S-Sorry, I still haven't memorized all the lines," Zoe whimpered and Louis sighed as he walked over to Zoe and started gripping his jaw with one hand.

"What's wrong? Open your mouth," Louis ordered while Zoe started sweating.

"Louis-senpai," Zoe groaned with his voice muffled.

"My, my, did you eat your script? The only talent you goats have is eating paper but this is not the time to be using it," Louis spoke softly.

"I swear I'll memorize the lines by tomorrow!" Zoe squeaked just as the door slammed open and Kai stormed in.

"Senpai, why the hell is Zoe replacing Tem?! Tem and I were the only ones who auditioned for-" Kai started protesting and was cut off.

"Silence, dammit!" Louis snapped and looked back at Zoe while adding, "Get out, memorize your lines."

Louis let Zoe go and he quickly left while I was watching the whole thing and still trying to figure out Louis, just as Kai spotted me and appeared to be taken aback.

"Hey, you're from the stage crew so what the hell are you doing here?" Kai asked and I shrugged.

"Don't know, you'll have to ask Louis-senpai about that since he's the reason I'm here," I responded and Louis looked at us.

"Kai, get along with Legosi since you two will be working together from now on in the stage crew. We have decided to have you removed from the acting team and you'll be supporting us as a PR, and stagehand for the stage crew.

Act two's dance from the Spring Breeze performance, as well as the final act's dance from the Winter Safari's convention...you of all animals should know the significance of these two dances, am I right Kai? Your most memorable accomplishments in your two-year acting career are those two on-stage mistakes.

Now, what I want to know is why you thought you could replace Tem?" Louis insulted while I was glaring at him for his callous attitude, then I saw Kai clenching his fists and growling at every insult that was thrown at him until he snapped and swung at Louis.

I quickly reacted by getting in his way and catching the fist, then Kai struggled to get loose as I held his fist in a strong grip and shook my head while he grabbed my arm to try and pry my hand away.

"Kai, calm the hell down," I warned cooly with a steely glare and Kai gritted his teeth.

"Who the fuck do you think you are, asshole?!" Kai snarled and I shot him a look.

"I'm someone who's trying to stop you from doing something very stupid by striking a fellow student and getting suspended because of it, now go and cool off," I suggested seriously.

"Go to hell!" Kai retorted and I bared my teeth at him before growling lowly, causing Kai to widened his eyes and I let go as he backed away with a nervous expression.

"On second thought, what the hell? You rich assholes think you're better than us so enjoy having everything handed to you on a silver platter," Kai spat as he stormed to the door and opened it until he shouted outside, "What the fuck are you all looking at?!"

Kai stormed outside and slammed the door shut, then I sighed as I grimaced from the ugly situation that just happened until Louis chuckled slightly.

"You bared your teeth to prevent a fight from happening...that's unexpected since you normally act docile, but now I can see that you are hiding a vicious beast inside you and your eyes hold the look of a survivor that's witnessed hell many times," Louis told me and I felt pensive since he wasn't that far from the truth.

"I don't know what you're talking about, senpai, so if you'll excuse me," I evaded as I started to head to the door, only something grabbed my tail which forced me to stop and I looked behind me to see Louis holding the tip of my tail with his hand while he was smirking.

"Don't play coy with me because there's more to you than meets the eye. That said, you're more reasonable than I expected so come along, I'm going to sneak into the auditorium to teach Zoe his lines," Louis declared and I was frowning at that.

"That's not a good idea, senpai, because you'll be in very serious trouble if the teachers find you on school grounds after curfew," I pointed out logically.

"Which is why you'll be keeping watch outside, or are you going to be a hero and refuse my request?" Louis suggested and I tensed up before letting out a stressful sigh until Louis grabbed my tie and pulled me closer to him.

"That's a damn shame...if I offered one of my legs in return, you would drool all over the floor and accept my request, right? You're a wolf, aren't you? You should act like one and embrace it," Louis stated playfully and I looked away.

_'Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not a wolf...just the spirit of a dead human inhabiting the body of a wolf,' _I thought dryly as I looked at Louis and gave him my answer.

* * *

_"Connor, why the hell did you decide to go along with this?! If you get caught, then I might get expelled or worse!" _Legosi complained as I was standing next to the entrance of the auditorium.

"Well, I have to admit that this is not one of the finest ideas in my long list of bad ideas," I admitted hesitantly and Legosi sweat-dropped until he sighed with a puff cloud.

_"You do realize that as long you are controlling my body, I'll be blamed for your actions if you get in trouble," _Legosi pointed out and I hung my head as depression lines appeared.

"Ugh, why couldn't I just go to Heaven and reunite with my parents? Why did I have to get dragged into this world and possess one of the locals?" I wondered in disbelief until I heard the sound of bushes rustling and instantly looked around until I heard chirping below and looked down to see a cricket next to my foot.

"Huh, what the hell are you doing here, little fella? Heh, I guess the same goes for me," I muttered as I knelt and let the cricket hop onto my index finger.

I stood up and observed the cricket, smiling softly from seeing the insect chirping without a care in the world and I sighed since I lost that kind of luxury a long time ago and hoped that I could find a way to feel that again but then I smelled something and turned to where it was coming from.

_'What the hell...what's that smell and where is it coming from?'_ I thought in confusion, then I closed my eyes and took a deep inhale through my powerful nose until I was able to detect that the scent belonged to an herbivore.

Suddenly, I felt a strange reaction as my blood began to boil and my eyes snapped open while I gritted my teeth and felt an intoxicating power rush through my veins as I groaned quietly and my muscles tensed with my body convulsing slightly. Before I knew what was happening, I lowered myself onto the ground on all fours while my eyes were glowing red and my chest rumbled from the terrifying snarls leaving my muzzle as I slowly moved to the front steps and my night vision picked up a small figure standing still with its ears twitching.

_"Connor?! Connor, snap out of it before you do something you'll regret!"_ I heard Legosi shouting in a complete panic but it was like I was in the passenger seat and Legosi's body wasn't responding to my commands while I was completely horrified that I was going to rip apart an innocent herbivore that had no idea death was coming for them.

The small animal turned its head to look at me and it suddenly bolted in the opposite direction, causing me to let out a roar as I lunged into the air with astonishing strength and flew at the figure until I grappled its torso and we rolled across the ground before coming to a stop with me on one knee and my arms wrapped around its torso until I discovered that the figure was female.

_'Please, I don't want this! Someone stop me, for the love of God!' _I thought distressfully as I growled quietly and the air became thick with tension.

As I held the female herbivore that was whimpering in terror, I prayed for anyone to stop me before I did something that'll destroy that small shred of humanity I had left and turn me into something far worse than anyone could ever bear to witness.

* * *

A/N Welcome to the official beginning of my story and I'm going with the anime version of Legosi activating his instincts, which is something that Connor has never experienced before and it is truly terrifying him since it looks like he's going to kill again but this time, it'll be an innocent herbivore and without his consent.

As you can see, I'm doing a mixture of the anime and manga by adding the parts that were cut out from the anime so that I can make it more fluid and natural. Anyway, let me know what you think and stay tuned.


	3. chapter 2

I kept holding the female herbivore in my arms, feeling like time had frozen completely while I saw that she was a small white rabbit and the sound of a heart beating rapidly filled my ears.

_'This sound of someone's heart racing...is it coming from me or you? It feels like we're becoming one...so warm and tiny, you're trying to struggle and your breath is making my arm moist._

_God, your scent is driving me insane while your warm fur under those clothes feels...I wonder how delicious you'll taste once I rip your clothes off and eat your soft flesh and tender organs. Wait, what the fuck?! G__et those sick thoughts out of your head, Connor!_

_It may have been okay to eat other animals back in the Wasteland, but that was when they didn't walk and talk like people! Jesus...my body, my hands, won't stop moving,'_ I thought in revulsion as my hand moved slowly across the rabbit and started gripping her arm.

_**"And that's how it should be,"**_ a demonic voice spoke suddenly in sadistic glee, causing me to quickly look around in alarm and my eyes widened in horror when I saw a black distorted humanoid male figure with a tail as it stood across the courtyard and stared at me.

_'Oh my God, what the fuck is that thing?!' _I thought incredulously and could see Legosi trembling as he spotted the figure.

_**"You've always been struggling with yourself for 13 years and now you can't take it anymore," **_the figure stated as it started walking to me and I flinched slightly at what it said.

"Stay the hell away from me," I warned weakly as I felt complete terror.

_**"I know who you are, Connor Monroe...you've been holding yourself back on the pretense of claiming to be a good person and living in the shadows but deep down, you enjoy the intoxicating sensation of taking a life and racking up quite an endless body count.**_

_**So much blood on your hands...I wonder, did you picture yourself becoming a sadistic killer and wiping out so many lives, or were you always this way and it took your father leaving the Vault and the Overseer going mad to bring it up to the surface? Are you ashamed or are you frustrated?" **_the figure whispered into my ear after he stopped in front of me.

"Fuck you, you don't know shit about me!" I exclaimed defensively and the figure laid its hands on one of my arms that were restraining the rabbit.

_"Hey, leave him the hell alone!" _Legosi shouted and the figure looked at him as he flew at it and went to take a swing.

_**"Don't interfere, pup,"**_ the figure warned before it waved a hand at him, and he suddenly disappeared to my horror.

"No!" I yelled in distress as the figure gripped my chin and forced me to look at him.

_**"Where were we? Oh yes, you're neither ashamed or frustrated...you're overjoyed from the bottom of your heart,"** _the figure told me as it slowly moved its hands across my arm and panic set in as I started hyperventilating.

"Shut the fuck up! You're not real, you're not fucking real!" I screamed in fear as the figure backed up a few steps.

**_"Look at me and don't avert your eyes...see how I'm getting bigger and bigger, look!" _**the figure declared as it started growing larger and I shut my eyes while I was looking away in sheer denial of that thing's unholy existence.

"No, I won't look at you!" I refused as my eyes started welling up from the stress becoming too much.

_**"It looks like you're ready, now the fun begins so kill her and experience that incredible feeling again! You know you want too!" **_the figure demanded sadistically as I unwillingly opened my eyes to see that the figure had become a giant humanoid wolf with glowing red eyes.

_'Oh God, this isn't happening...somebody help me, please!' _I thought desperately as the giant wolf walked behind me, kneeled and held me in the same position I was holding the rabbit.

The figure sunk into me while I was begging and praying for somebody to save me, then I felt myself give in to this horrible monster and started snarling as my claws broke the flesh on the rabbit's arm and my eyes glowed red again.

"I'll kill you, I'll rip your fucking lungs out!" I snarled chaotically as I looked down and opened my mouth, just before I was about to rip out her throat and pictured her warm blood and meaty flesh going down my throat.

"Legosi!" the voice of Zoe called out and I snapped out of it with a startled expression as I turned my head to see him running towards us.

"It's an emergency!" Zoe notified me urgently, just as I realized what I was about to do to this rabbit and frantically let go of her but I tore her arm with my claws by accident and she got up to run for her life.

I watched the rabbit running away with my ears lowered and felt horrified of what I almost did while also feeling intense hatred of myself for nearly committing murder, just as Zoe rushed over and grabbed my arm.

"Why the hell aren't you keeping watch?! Nevermind, now come with me because it's Louis-senpai!" Zoe exclaimed and I looked at him with a dazed expression.

"What's wrong?" I questioned as I stood up and Zoe tugged on my arm.

"Just come with me!" Zoe urged and we took off running to the auditorium.

We rushed into the building and headed down the steps that led to the stage, then I spotted Louis kneeling on the floor with quiet gasps of pain and wondered what the hell happened.

"Louis-senpai, I got Legosi here with me!" Zoe announced and I saw that Louis was gripping his leg with one hand as I hurried over to check on him, my medical knowledge kicking in.

"Shit, are you okay? How's your leg?" I questioned as I reached down to move his hand out of the way and he pushed my hand away after sitting down fully.

"I'm fine, just give me a minute," Louis dismissed with a wave of his hand as Zoe timidly approached us.

"H-H tried to save me...it was very dark so I could barely see where I was going and I slipped before almost falling off the stage, but then senpai..." Zoe trailed off as his eyes welled up and Louis shot him a glare.

"Dammit, I said I'm fine so quit making a big deal out of it! I only pulled you out of the way so that I wouldn't have to hear you crying over a tiny injury!" Louis snapped as he grabbed the edge of the stage and slowly pulled himself up.

"B-But I made you fall and hurt yourself," Zoe whimpered and Louis sighed before wincing.

"This is nothing...I'm tough, unlike you," Louis groaned as I stayed close to him to make sure he didn't fall and hurt himself again.

"If Louis-senpai is unable to perform, then what'll I do?" Zoe wondered quietly as he looked down with an expression of guilt.

"Zoe, drop it or we're going to have a problem," Louis warned and Zoe flinched at the threat.

"S-Sorry," Zoe stuttered as Louis looked at me and held out his arm.

"Legosi, do me a favor and loan me your shoulder," Louis suggested and I nodded as I rested his arm on my shoulder to hold him up.

"Nice work keeping watch for us," Louis told me and I didn't know how to respond to that.

"Sure..." I trailed off and Louis looked at me.

"Did anything happen that I should know about?" Louis asked and I subtly wiped my bloody claws on my pants as I nearly grimaced.

"No, it was completely quiet," I lied as I made sure Louis didn't fall during our walk to the exit.

After that, I had made it back to the dorms with the others and tried to convince Louis to rest for a few days until he healed up from his nasty fall, but he was stubborn and I gave up after several tries since he wasn't listening to me and I wasn't in the mood to get into an argument with him. I had headed to the men's bathroom and was washing the blood off my claws and pants as I felt very worried for Legosi and hoped that he was alright.

_"Are you okay?"_ I heard a familiar voice ask suddenly and I jumped before I spun around and saw Legosi hovering near the window.

"Legosi, thank God you're okay...I was terrified that monster wiped you from existence," I whispered in pure relief and went to pat his shoulder, only my hand went through him and I shivered from the freezing chill that ran through my body while Legosi looked uncomfortable.

_"Please don't do that because it's very creepy seeing your hand go through me," _Legosi pleaded with a disturbed expression and looking slightly blue in the face.

"Sorry about that..." I trailed off and looked down at my hands, remembering how much death and carnage I was responsible for back in my previous life before I died and wound up here.

_"Connor, that thing said that you took God knows how many lives...is it true? Did you kill that many individuals?" _Legosi asked hesitantly and recoiled when I shot him a glare.

"I don't want to fucking talk about it, now drop it," I warned coldly and Legosi held up his hands in surrender as his ears folded back.

I looked away from him and went to leave the bathroom, but I looked at one of the mirrors and tensed up when my reflection started looking black and distorted with its red glowing eyes staring back at me before it warped from its lupine figure and became my former human body that was wearing the old armored vault jumpsuit and duster but my human self was covered in blood and its eyes glowed red with a sadistic smile.

I trembled as horrifying memories of killing or torturing an unknown amount of monsters and psychopaths came rushing back and in a fit of self-loathing, I slammed my fist into the mirror and caused it to crack as Legosi flinched from the act of violence and stared at me warily.

I backed away from the broken mirror and quickly left the bathroom, trying to bury my hellish experiences in the Wastes and hoped that the monster inside me never comes back.

* * *

After I had headed back to Room 701 in the male carnivore dorm, I snuck in and made sure I didn't wake up Jack and the others by accident before I changed into my pajamas and got into bed but I couldn't get any sleep for the rest of the night because of the memory of almost killing the rabbit and I felt like shit while I was laying in bed.

_'I don't want to wake up, not that I got any sleep to begin with...I don't want to be awake or asleep, I just want to lay down here as still as a shellfish. This bed is like a cage, something to confine a monster like me...'_ I thought in exhaustion as images of killing the rabbit in horrific ways kept running through my head until the curtains suddenly opened.

"Legosi!" Collot greeted cheerfully and my eyes snapped open before I saw him looking down with a grin.

"You shouldn't be laying in bed forever and your face looks so scary, now rise and shine," Collot told me after pulling my cheek, gripping my arms and he started dragging me out of bed, just as Durham left the bathroom and adjusted his pants while he saw me being dragged across the messy floor.

"Hey, Legosi, you didn't study for the Math II Quiz, huh?" Durham remarked and a tired groan from me made him add, "Yeah, I know that feeling."

"Go get a shower and get changed so you can join us, Legosi," Collot commented after he forced me to stand up and I stared into the mirror as my ears were lowered and my eyes were bloodshot with dark bags under the bottom lids.

While the others were chatting about what they wanted for breakfast, I saw my exhausted self in the mirror change into a distorted version with red eyes and a cold glare but I looked away and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. Once I was done, I got dressed in my uniform and we all left the room as other animals were walking down the hallway and chatting with each other.

"Legosi, your backpack's open," Jack informed me as he stared in concern and zipped up the backpack, but I wasn't in the mood to discuss what happened last night since it would most definitely scare the hell out of him.

"The cafeteria's probably crowded by now," Collot commented just as a raccoon and his roommates left the dorm room next to ours.

"Morning," our raccoon neighbor greeted as he and his roommates started heading down the same direction we were going.

"Morning," Durham replied and told Collot, "It should be fine. Look, the procyonids are also on their way there."

We kept walking as I was yawning and shaking my head to be more awake, then we arrived inside the cafeteria building and I stood next to the others as Miguno read through today's menu.

"Let's see, today's carnivore breakfast...is bread, scrambled eggs, and soy patties!" Miguno notified us excitingly and Collot perked up.

"Nice, I love that stuff," Collot stated with a smile and we went to get our breakfast for the day.

We got our breakfast and I sat down next to Jack, eating slowly while slouching and not having much of an appetite as a lynx student sat down at my left.

"Damn, I almost stepped on a chipmunk girl...I need to watch where I'm going or get some glasses. Hey, Legosi, you said that I'd look good in glasses, right?" the lynx asked and I looked at him while avoiding the bread roll.

"Yeah," I muttered and went back to eating until I saw the bread roll and tensed up slightly, recalling what I almost did last night and looking at my hand that injured the rabbit's arm.

At that moment, I haven't felt so scared of myself since I killed Mr. Burke after he shot and killed Sheriff Simms, remembering how terrifying it was and that it was so easy to take a life for the first time.

_'I don't have the right to eat bread, I almost killed a small animal last night,' _I thought guiltily as Jack was tapping my shoulder to get my attention.

"Legosi, are you okay?" Jack whispered in concern and I was about to reassure him that I was fine, only I was cut off when a fox and his friend started yelling at each other.

"What the fuck is your problem?! Can't you tell that you're stepping on my tail, or are you too much of a dumbass to notice?!" the carnivore shouted as he grabbed the fox's shoulders.

"Hey, I apologized, dammit!" the fox snapped irritably as animals were starting to stare at them.

"I'm only pissed off because you were grinning, you damn fox!" the carnivore snarled.

"Oh, so you're taking your frustrations out on me, is that it?!" the fox retorted venomously as the lynx sitting next to me and Jack leaned in close to us.

"That guy on the right looks like you guys," the lynx pointed out quietly.

"That's a fox...sure, he's a canine, but he's completely different from us," Jack explained just as the carnivore lunged at the fox and his teeth clamped onto the fox's arm while he screamed in agony and everyone else in the cafeteria clamored in horror at the sight.

I started trembling as the brutality I was witnessing brought back horrific memories of the Wasteland and before I knew it, the memory of my father's death came roaring back.

* * *

_I fired several shots into the black-armored man with my assault rifle and he went down after his visor shattered and a few rounds destroyed his eyes and part of his face as Dogmeat was ripping out the throat of another soldier that tried to ambush me from behind._

_I had no idea who these people were or why they wanted us dead, but my father called them the Enclave on the speakers in the giant pipe and his tone of voice told me that they weren't friendly at all and that we needed to prevent them from getting Project Purity. Once the area was clear, I rushed over to the door that led to the Rotunda and quickly headed inside with Dogmeat right behind me._

_We moved up the stairs to the entrance of the project where Dr. Li and the other scientists were standing, the door closed with my father and another scientist being held at gunpoint by two armored Enclave soldiers while a man wearing a white duster coat was talking to him in a southern accent._

_"By the authority of the President, this facility is now under the control of the United States government and the person in charge is to step forward immediately and turn over all materials related to this project," the man ordered while my father looked at the man calmly._

_"I'm afraid that's quite impossible because this is a private project and the Enclave has no authority here, so I'm going to have to ask you to leave immediately," Dad refused stoically._

_"Am I to assume, sir, that you're in charge?" the man questioned._

_"Yes, I'm responsible for this project," Dad answered with a nod._

_"Then I'm telling you, sir, that you are hereby instructed to hand over all materials related to the purifier," the man insisted and dad shook his head._

_"I'm sorry, but that's-" Dad tried to say and was cut off._

_"Furthermore, you are to assist Enclave researchers in assuming control of the administration and operation of this facility at once," the man interrupted and dad held up a hand in a placating gesture._

_"Colonel...is it Colonel? I'm sorry, but the facility is not operational and has never been operational so I'm afraid you're wasting your time here," Dad told him and the man sighed irritably._

_"Sir, this is the last time I'm going to repeat myself...stand down at once and turn over control of this facility," the man demanded sternly._

_"Colonel, I assure you that this facility will not function because we have never been able to successfully replicate test results-" Dad tried to reason and was cut off again when the man pulled out his 10mm handgun and killed the scientist with a shot to the face, causing me to recoil in horror as my eyes widened in shock._

_"Holy shit, we need to get in there right now!" I exclaimed at Dr. Li as I started to kick the door but she forced me back._

_"There's nothing we can do, that door is thick enough to withstand a missile attack...trust your father because he'll get himself out of this," Dr. Li reassured and I looked at the situation while I clenched my rifle._

_"I suggest you comply immediately, sir, to prevent any more incidents...are we clear?" the man threatened menacingly and dad raised his hands in surrender._

_"Yes Colonel, there's no need for more bloodshed so I'll do whatever you want," Dad complied reluctantly._

_"Then you will immediately hand over all materials related to this project and aid us in making it operational at once," the man said after he holstered his gun and dad nodded._

_"Very well, give me a few moments to bring the system online," Dad stated as he turned around and headed to the console that would turn on the machine._

_Dad started typing on it and the man urged him to hurry up, but dad reassured him that he was almost done and a small explosion happened in the room with the alarms going off but my Pipboy's Giger counter went off like crazy as everyone in the sealed room started choking from the deadly radiation and I was horrified to see the soldiers and the man collapsing while my dad was stumbling to the door._

_I instantly panicked and banged my fists on the door after dropping my rifle in a frantic attempt to try and get it open, but the glass wouldn't budge and I kept trying to break it while my dad slumped against the door._

_"Dad, don't you fucking do this to me! Open the door, open the fucking door!" I shouted as dad looked at me with his hands on the glass._

_"Run...run!" Dad choked before he collapsed and that made me even more frantic as I kept trying to get in, just as Dr. Li grabbed me and pulled me back as she placed her hands on my shoulders._

_"Connor, there's nothing you can do! He's gone and we're going to be next if we don't get out of here!" Dr. Li exclaimed while I was struggling to get past her, then she slapped me across the face and that's when the reality of what just happened hit me and something in me just completely broke while tears welled up and I sobbed uncontrollably as she held me close._

_Dr. Li picked up my rife and she helped me down the stairs while I kept letting out my grief and broken despair, my mind shattering from losing the one thing that kept me going in this hell and I couldn't stop wailing due to my broken mind._

_'So, this...is hell,' I thought as I took the rifle and just snapped as pure vengeful fury rose and I gripped the rifle tightly as I forced Dr. Li to let go of me started heading to the door._

_"I'm going to kill them all," I muttered coldly with a dead expression as I checked my ammo and left the Rotunda to show no mercy to the Enclave._

* * *

After remembering that horrifying moment in my life, memories of what I tried to do to the rabbit last night flashed through my head and I started clenching my fists until I slammed my hands down onto the table and stood up.

"That's enough!" I roared stressfully and the entire building was rendered silent as the two carnivores that were fighting stopped and everyone looked at me in surprise.

I saw that all eyes were on me and I took a deep shaky breath to calm down while Legosi was looking shocked to see me lose my composure, then Jack tugged onto my sleeve to get my attention.

"Holy crap...what the hell was that all about, Legosi?" Jack whispered and I didn't reply as the fox started glaring at me and he stood up.

"What the fuck is your problem? You think you can beat the shit out of me because of your large build?" the fox challenged as he approached me and I put my hands in my pockets as I grimaced from losing my temper.

"I'm not interested in picking a fight with you but you two are causing a scene and scaring everyone in here, so how about you and your friend go outside to cool off," I suggested calmly and the fox scoffed.

"Don't give me that bullshit, just show me your neck so that I can bite it," the fox threatened and I started glaring at him coldly.

"I said that I don't want to fight you, now calm down," I warned as I prepared to dodge his attacks to tire him out and just before he could take a swing at me, a familiar voice spoke up.

"Good grief, carnivores sure love to cause mayhem," Louis announced and I looked behind me to see him approaching us.

"It's Louis-senpai!" all the girls in the cafeteria cheered as Louis stopped next to me.

"Especially when their bark is worse than their bite," Louis remarked as he rested a hand on my shoulder and the fox smirked as he did a mocking bow.

"My, my, it seems we're in the presence of the star actor, Louis the Great," the fox snarked but Louis wasn't falling for it.

"Baring your teeth in public is bad manners so if you're going to fight, do it in the carnivore dorm," Louis told him and the fox chuckled as he took a step forward.

"You don't have it so easy either since you're looking to become the next Beastar, so you must be pretty desperate if you have gotten all this attention for yourself," the fox taunted but Louis wasn't even fazed by that and I frowned slightly when I heard that title.

A few days after I wound up in this world, I heard the name Beastar being mentioned more than a few times and Legosi explained that someone with that title is held in pretty high esteem and they become very influential throughout society by being politicians or athletes, like a Vault Overseer but with more power and influence throughout the world. I still thought that title is a dangerous thing to have since anyone can be corrupted with that amount of influence and I've seen first-hand what happens to those with too much power and influence.

I watched Louis looking thoughtful at what the fox said and we all waited for his response when he stared right into his eyes and went to say what was on his mind.

"Have you ever thought about why we need the Beastar? Rather than begrudging everyone else, improve yourself first before doing anything else," Louis lectured and the fox widened his eyes at the response since it probably wasn't what he expected.

"Yeah, that's right!"

"Go to hell!"

"Screw you!"

"Hey, let's get the fuck out of here," the fox's friend suggested quietly after he approached him, then the fox looked irritated at all the insults being thrown at him by everyone in the cafeteria while he glared at Louis.

"Well, sure, having good grades is all that matters since anyone can be a Beastar!" the fox retorted with a tick mark as his friend grabbed his arm and forced him to move.

"Hey, just drop it and let's go before things get worse," his friend urged with a sweat-drop as he made the fox keep moving and Louis looked at everyone.

"Everyone, you may return to your breakfast now," Louis announced and everybody went back to eating as if nothing had happened before he turned to look at me.

"That was for yesterday," Louis told me and I knew that he was talking about me preventing Kai from attacking him.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that because I should be the one to thank you for stepping in, senpai. If you hadn't shown up when you did..." I trailed off as I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly.

"You would've gone through with avoiding his attacks until he became tired enough for you to take him down with a single strike, right? I'd like to know how long you intend on confronting your problems that way...I had my suspicions that there was more to you than meets the eye and it appears I was right, so you're even more of a dangerous wolf than I thought," Louis stated with an amused grin as he patted my shoulder and passed me while he was walking away.

I watched Louis walk away and I frowned thoughtfully as I tried to figure out what his agenda was since he implied that the Legosi he had just talked to was far different than the one he interacted with before I showed up, then I started wondering if he knew about my true identity and quickly shut that down because it wasn't possible and nobody knows about my true self. While I was deep in thought, Jack decided to get my attention by nudging me and I snapped out of it before looking at him.

"Wow, Louis-senpai is so cool! So, did you do something for Louis-senpai?! What did you do?!" Jack questioned excitingly while his tail wagged and I knew that he wasn't going to leave me alone unless I told him about yesterday's altercation.

"It wasn't anything important," I evaded stoically as I sat down to finish my breakfast and took my tray to the trash.

"Oh, by the way, I ate the bread you were avoiding," Jack informed me and I nodded.

"Okay," I replied quietly as we waited for the others to finish up with their breakfast and then we went our separate ways while we headed to class.

* * *

After most of the day had passed by, I had removed my uniform vest, went to the Drama Club, and was now moving to the backstage with three boxes as Kibi was right behind me and I looked at the stage to see Louis and a few actors practicing until they stopped and Louis started lecturing at the three actors next to him until he was finished and headed to the bathroom to cool off from the physical activity but I spotted a slight pained grimace on his face and felt concerned that his injury was becoming worse.

"Hey, this is getting heavy so can you please stop staring off into space and keep moving?" Kibi groaned in exertion while struggling to hold his boxes up and I looked embarrassed as I snapped out of it.

"Oh, sorry about that," I apologized sheepishly and continued walking to the backstage with the boxes until we arrived and placed the boxes down, then we opened them and took the costumes out before working on knitting them so that they wouldn't tear during the performance.

"What, a break from rehearsal? We've never had a break before," Dom pointed out in confusion and I twitched my ear to show that I was listening.

"Well, I haven't heard the details, though," I said and Fudge frowned.

"Louis-san's always excited when the performance is approaching, so he must've been pissed or something," Fudge stated and Kai groaned irritably.

"Dammit, I was supposed to be rehearsing with all of them, not sewing up the costumes in this dark place!" Kai complained in frustration and Dom looked at him.

"Kai, you have a good sense of needlework so I'm happy that you're a part of the stage crew," Dom complimented and Kai appeared to be taken aback by hearing that.

"Oh, really?" Kai inquired in surprise and Dom nodded.

"Indeed," Dom agreed and Kai smiled bashfully from the compliment as I opened a box and paused when I took out a familiar costume.

"This is Tem's costume," I told them and the air became somber as everyone looked at the costume solemnly.

"W-What should we do with it?" Kibi asked hesitantly and I grimaced.

"Well, we can't just keep it here," Fudge pointed out with a frown and I tensed up, something Kai seemed to notice and he cleared his throat to get my attention.

"Hey, Legosi, I don't want to sound harsh but it would be pretty creepy if we still kept that outfit around and Tem's not going to need it anymore," Kai stated and Fudge shot him an offended expression.

"Hey, show some respect!" Fudge scolded and Kai held up his hands in surrender before everyone went back to knitting and changing the subject.

_"Tem...any carnivore killing herbivores and eating them is the worst criminal act that anyone can do, which is why everyone is trying to avoid the subject. Connor, I think I'm starting to understand what Louis-senpai meant earlier...the reason of why he's starring as Adler the Reaper._

_He must still be struggling to confront the reality of that horrible incident the most since he's aiming to be a Beastar, so he needs to take the center stage in the world of carnivores and herbivores._

_God, I can't even imagine the stress he is going through right now,"_ Legosi admitted quietly as he hovered near me and I became lost in thought while I recalled my status as Messiah of the Wasteland and how much of a burden it could be.

I kept remembering how people saw me as a hero for helping to clean up the Wastes and bring civilization back together again, but they truly had no idea of the horrors I had seen and how the constant tragedies broke me before I became a lifeless drifter and died in that fateful ambush 13 years after I fled the Vault.

"Legosi! Legosi, did you hear what I said?!" Dom suddenly shouted into my ear and I snapped out of it until I looked at him with a startled expression.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought," I spoke nervously and Dom nodded understandingly.

"You were spacing out again, weren't you? Well, we were talking about bringing in flowers from the Gardening Club so take a look," Dom explained as he took out a draft and opened it to show me.

"We want to use roses as the motif for the final act, then we should decorate the assembly hall and entrance too. There should be plenty of roses in the Gardening Club and I want you to go get them," Dom instructed and I made a face at that.

"That's an herbivore club, right? I'm not so sure that's a good idea since they probably wouldn't take too kindly to a large wolf asking for flowers," I pointed out and Kibi scooched over so that he could talk to me.

"I think you should go since you're a second-year now, so you should do it to improve your social skills," Kibi reasoned and I looked thoughtful for a few seconds until I came to a decision and looked at him.

"In that case, you're coming with me," I declared calmly and Kibi looked uncertain by what I said as I put down Tem's costume and gestured for Kibi to follow me after Dom gave me directions to the Gardening Club.

* * *

Pretty soon after that, we were heading up the stairs to the roof and Kibi looked awkward while we were walking.

"Um, do I have to come with you?" Kibi inquired with a nervous expression and I looked at him.

"To be honest, a large imposing wolf asking for flowers would scare the hell out of them so you being with me will relax them slightly," I explained as we arrived at the door that headed out to the roof and added, "You know, I had no idea that there was a garden on the roof."

"It's probably not well known among the carnivores but if you want my opinion, it's might be a pretty plain club so it would explain why carnivores have never heard about it," Kibi told me as I went to reach for the doorknob.

Just when I was about to open the door, the scent of flowers hit me along with one certain and very familiar scent that made me freeze up and I started to feel very alarmed as my ears perked up fully and the fur on the back of my neck rose as Legosi saw my reaction and looked nervous.

_"Connor, what's wrong?" _Legosi asked uneasily but I didn't respond since I recognized the scent far too well.

_'Oh God, it's that rabbit girl from last night,'_ I thought just as Kibi opened the door and my eyes widened as I saw the girl I tried to kill last night watering the flowers, and she smiled at us while we walked through the door and stood near it.

"Hello, can I help you?" the girl inquired curiously and I felt a lump in my throat as I swallowed nervously.

_'Oh, crap...I didn't think that she was so tiny. Okay, what the fuck do I do to get myself out of this situation? I know, I'll come up with an excuse and tell her that I remembered that need to take care of a few errands...yeah, that'll work,' _I thought with a slight nod and opened my mouth to say something.

"Oh, I-" I was about to lie to her and get the hell out of here, but I was cut off when Kibi started clutching his head suddenly.

"Oh, I just remembered, I've got some errands to take care of so I need to get going!" Kibi exclaimed and my eyes bugged out as I kneeled and shot him a look of horror while I started to sweat and look blue in the face.

"Kibi, what the fuck are you doing?!" I hissed incredulously and Kibi flinched at my tone.

"Sorry, Legosi, I'll buy you an antshake later so good luck, I'll owe you one," Kibi whispered just as the girl cleared her throat.

"Excuse me, didn't you two come here to get flowers for the new student welcome event or am I wrong?" the girl asked and Kibi laughed as he quickly headed to the door.

"No, you're completely right but I need to run some errands so this friendly wolf knows everything you need to know!" Kibi lied as he rushed into the stairwell and I spun around while he was closing the door and I tried to force my way through.

_'Unbelievable, this asshole is throwing me under the fucking bus!'_ I thought in disbelief as I struggled to push the door open fully.

"Look, I'm sorry about this but you need to do it for the Drama Club," Kibi apologized and managed to slam the door in my face, then I stared at the door with quiet whimpers and depression lines as I inwardly cursed up a storm at my shitty luck.

_'Oh great, now we're alone...fucking Kibi, I swear I'm going to get him back for this,' _I thought as I slowly turned around with Legosi looking pretty uncomfortable nearby and I cleared my throat awkwardly as I looked at the girl nervously.

"Well, looks like your friend is gone...the rumors sure spread fast so I probably scared him off, though all boys are scared of girls in some respects so it doesn't bother me. Aren't you scared of me?" the girl asked and I grimaced slightly as I looked away.

"No, not really," I muttered and felt like hitting myself at the stupid answer.

_'What the hell am I saying?! I just tried to fucking kill you last night, so of course I'm terrified of talking to you! I don't have the right to talk to you after what I nearly did!' _I thought in disbelief.

"Every club gets busy every year trying to do something for the big event, so what club are you in?" the girl asked as she headed to the shed that was nearby and I followed her hesitantly.

"The Drama Club...I'm a stagehand and I need flowers to decorate the assembly hall, preferably roses," I explained as we stopped next to the large shed that was the clubroom, then I handed her the draft and she looked through it.

"So, you want roses, huh? Well, you shouldn't decorate with pure red roses because they're very poisonous," the girl informed me and I nodded.

"I see..." I trailed off as I stood right behind her.

"I've got roses of many other colors so I'll show them to you," the girl offered.

"Thank you," I said as I watched her looking through the draft and couldn't help but notice how small she was.

_'Shit, her head's so far away so I bet she sees the world much differently than I do...this might be the first time I've ever talked to a small animal ever since I wound up in this world,' _I thought just as the girl looked up at me.

"Sure, I'll help you but on one condition," the girl stated and I flinched slightly.

"W-What condition?" I asked nervously while I thought, _'Damn, I can't even look at her in the eye.'_

"I can't just give you my dear children for free, so could you take those plants over to the back?" the girl instructed as she pointed at a few potted plants that were sitting next to the side of the wooden building and she added, "I'll be perfectly honest, I really care about them but a girl can only do so much."

I stayed silent as I tried to figure out what to say to her because I haven't felt this awkward and nervous around a girl since I had a crush on Christine Kendall back in the Vault when I was a kid, then I opened my mouth to say something.

"Then it's settled!" the girl exclaimed cheerfully and I let out a startled yelp as I felt her grab my tail and quickly turned my head to look down at her as she moved my tail into one of the suspenders.

"Um, w-what?" I stuttered in shock as the girl looked up at me with a smile.

"I can't have you break my plants with that big monstrous tail you got so don't worry, I won't chop it off," the girl reassured while I was twitching slightly and Legosi looked struck stupid with his mouth open while he hovered near us.

_'She...she touched me,' _I thought in disbelief as I headed over to the potted plants and picked one up before walking alongside the girl.

"So, what year are you in?" the girl asked.

"Uh, I'm a second-year," I answered while we were heading to the back of the garden.

"I'm a third-year so it's nice to meet someone younger than I am since it's a nice breath of fresh air," the girl admitted as we arrived at the back of the garden.

"Are there any other members of this club, senpai?" I inquired as she directed me to where I should put the plants down.

"You don't need to be so formal with me because I'm the only member here. There were two other senpais but they graduated four years ago and no one else joined ever since," the girl explained as I headed over to where she pointed at.

I put down the potted plant and saw a clipboard, then I picked it up and looked through it while I felt impressed that she had been doing this by herself for four years.

"Must be pretty tough doing all of this by yourself," I commented as I started feeling more relaxed around her.

"Pretty much, but these little ones need me and I need them...maybe a wolf like you wouldn't understand, but we're all weak here and we have to support each other or petty stubbornness can lead to poor choices, which can end up in dangerous situations," the girl told me as she was hydrating the flowers and I saw her bandaged arm as memories of what I did made me feel stressed again.

_'Okay, just don't say anything about her arm,' _I thought uneasily as I put down the clipboard and stood up.

"Um...what happened to your arm if you don't mind me asking?" I asked and felt like whacking my head against a wall.

_'You fucking dumbass, why the hell did you have to ask her that?!' _I thought in disbelief as the girl looked at her arm and shrugged.

"This? That's a very good question because I don't remember what happened, though it hurts like hell if I have to be honest," the girl answered while my eyes widened.

"Huh? Nothing?" I questioned in surprise while I was wondering how she forgot about something so traumatic.

"Yeah, but I'm sure it must be uncomfortable seeing a small animal walk around here with a bandage on so don't worry, I probably had a bad dream," the girl reassured as she went back to spraying the plants while humming.

It was so strange, I didn't feel anything from what she said but I still couldn't stop watching her as she kept working with a smile and gestured for me to help her, then I planted seeds and watered the garden as I felt serene for the first time in so long.

"Well, I'm going to go wash my hands so let's head to the clubroom," the girl said after we were finished with tending to the garden.

"Sure..." I trailed off bashfully as we stood up and went to the building until we headed inside.

When we entered, I looked around and saw that the inside looked like a small home with gardening supplies, a bed, and a table as I took my tail out of one of the suspenders and watched the girl while she washed her hands in the sink and dried them off.

"Thank you so much for helping me, the plants haven't been feeling so well lately so I'm sure that they'll be better now that they are getting plenty of sunlight. I should repay you for your help, so what kind of food do you like?" the girl offered and I started feeling nervous as I adverted my eyes and looked at the wall on my left.

_'I don't need to be thanked, especially from someone I almost killed last night but I can't help but want to keep talking to you,'_ I thought as I looked back at the girl with an awkward expression.

"Um...hold on for a second," I said and went right back to inwardly struggle with myself.

_'Shit, what the hell do I say to this girl? For Christ's sake, Connor, you faced all manner of very nasty things in the Wasteland and now you're getting tongue-tied like some damn hormonal teenager that can't even talk to a girl!_

_God, I can't even look at her and this is becoming all manners of awkward, though I just can't find the courage to tell her even if I was a male rabbit...ugh, I'm stressing myself out over nothing so I need to suck it up and say something!'_ I thought irritably as I closed my eyes, gripped my head, and groaned while ignoring whatever the girl was saying.

"Is it your first time with a small animal?" the girl asked suddenly and I felt confused at first when I opened my eyes, then I froze up with my brain shutting down as I saw the girl only wearing her bra and underwear as she approached me.

"It's okay...I may be a bit rough, but I'll make this worth your while," the girl stated softly while my eyes were bulging at what she was doing and Legosi was staring with his mouth open in shock from the sight as my brain tried to reboot.

* * *

A/N Damn, it is just not Connor's day and unlike Legosi, he knows exactly what Haru is doing and is struck stupid by what is currently happening to him. Anyway, happy New Year so let me know what you think and stay tuned.


	4. chapter 3

I was pressing myself against the wall as the girl unbuckled my belt and I started sweating profusely at this unexpected turn of events.

"Are you nervous? Just relax, it's my first time with a carnivore too, you know," the girl reassured while one of my eyes was twitching.

_'What the fuck...is this girl doing what I think she's doing?!' _I thought incredulously as the girl unbuttoned my shirt and opened it.

"Oh, the color of your fur on your stomach is the same as your face," the girl observed as she ran her hands across my abs and I blushed furiously at the pleasurable sensation of her hands running through my fur.

_'Oh God, I can't believe this is happening to me right now,' _I thought in disbelief as the girl unbuttoned my pants and pulled down the zipper.

"It's a beautiful cream color...I want to see just how far down it goes so is that okay?," the girl asked as she went to pull down my pants and I snapped myself out of it.

"Whoa, hold on a damn second!" I exclaimed in alarm as I grabbed my pants and forced them up frantically, causing the girl to jump at the sudden action and she looked unhappy.

"What's wrong, I'm doing all the work trying to set the mood. This is why you're here, aren't you?" the girl questioned with a frown and crossed arms as I was busy buckling my pants and buttoning up my shirt, then I shot her a look of disbelief.

"No, I didn't come here for that so what the fuck gave you that impression?!" I cried in shock as I stared at her completely mortified and the girl appeared to be confused as she looked away with an expression of confusion.

As she was deep in thought, I quickly moved to the bed and grabbed the sheet before I went back and rested it on her shoulders.

"Here, you're going to get cold and you should put on your uniform. Anyway, I'm going to be going now so have a good day," I declared nervously as I quickly opened the sliding door and walked out before shutting it fast.

"Gah, fuck!" I yelped in pain as I forgot about my tail and the door nearly crushed it, causing me to yank it out and I broke out into a sprint as I rushed to the exit and headed into the stairwell.

I headed down the stairs and made it to the hallway, then I rested my arms on a wall as I gasped for breath and tried to comprehend what the hell just happened.

_'Holy shit, I can't believe that girl wanted to have sex with me! Damn, I know girls like Nova back in the Wasteland have flirted at me before but I've never experienced that in my life...I've never been in a relationship either so that was completely unexpected,'_ I thought while Legosi floated down next to me with a grimace.

_"Um, Connor, what the hell was she doing? Was that some kind of greeting between small animals?" _Legosi asked and I gaped at him while my right eye started twitching.

_'You're shitting me, this guy is seriously that fucking clueless in that department?!' _I thought in disbelief while Legosi looked uncomfortable at my reaction.

"Legosi, are you telling me that you have no idea what the hell she was doing?! Didn't you take any Sex-Ed classes or anything like that?!" I hissed and Legosi flinched at my tone.

_"Well, I heard about those classes but I didn't take them because I wasn't interested at the time...is that bad?" _Legosi inquired hesitantly and I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Yes, it's bad because it's important to learn those classes so that you know what the hell you're doing once you get into a relationship with someone! Wait, please tell me you know what a romantic relationship is," I begged quietly and Legosi looked at me strangely.

_"What's a romantic relationship? I've heard something about it so what is it?"_ Legosi asked and my jaw dropped open until I hung my head and depression lines appeared.

_'You gotta be fucking kidding me, he's that dense? Of all the animals I had to possess in this world, it just had to be the one that doesn't know shit about girls or romance,'_ I thought helplessly just as I spotted Kibi approaching me.

"Legosi, I'm sorry about earlier so I waited for you to come back," Kibi said with a look of guilt and I started glaring at him.

"That reminds me...why the hell did you throw me under the bus like that? Not cool at all, Kibi," I snapped irritably and Kibi looked taken aback by my anger.

"Nevermind about that, did anything happen?" Kibi asked and I tried not to blush while shaking my head.

"No, not really," I lied as we started walking down the hall and passing other students.

"I see...well, that's a relief because seeing you jump down four steps at a time made me think that something bad had happened," Kibi stated and I looked at him in confusion.

"Well, nothing bad happened so what had you so scared in the first place?" I inquired and Kibi looked nervous before he suddenly pushed me against the wall with an uncomfortable expression.

"Apparently, there's this pretty well-known rumor among the herbivores...the talk around the school is that she's really promiscuous and has been with a lot of the guys. Basically, she's a slut and nothing but trouble so it's hard to believe since she looked like a nice girl.

Hey, she wouldn't try to sleep with a wolf, right? Did you get those roses?" Kibi questioned and I looked away as I thought about choosing my words carefully.

"The flowers...they're so precious to her and she treats them like they're her children. I'm going to talk to the others and figure out somewhere else to get the roses and to be honest, there may be a lot of rumors out there, but I think she's a good person," I said as we kept walking back to the Drama Club.

* * *

As time passed by, I thought about the girl and how animals called her nasty names but I wasn't going to let one bad impression or rumors dictate on how I'll make my judgment since it couldn't be that black and white and there must be more to the story on who she is, not to mention that everyone has issues they're trying to deal with in their lives and she might be struggling to handle on how society sees her.

Now, the Drama Club had been called to the auditorium and we were going to receive an award for all the hard work we did so an announcement had happened and we were standing on stage while the Headmaster was speaking to us while the audience was watching us.

"All of you on this stage overcame the differences and challenges among species so, therefore, you have earned a prestigious prize. Your contributions have led Cherryton to thrive and prosper, which is why we have gathered here today so I can present the Cherryton Honor Award to you all," Headmaster Gon praised as he handed Louis the award and every student in the audience cheered while I was just standing with the other Drama Club members and holding a stoic expression.

"I expect another successful year ahead for the Drama Club," Headmaster Gon told Louis, who nodded with a calm smile.

"Of course, senpai, you can count on it," Louis agreed and he turned around while everyone in their seats stopped clapping and he announced, "Co-existence and co-prosperity, our Drama Club will continue to demonstrate its glory on this stage."

The students clapped and cheered again while I was eyeing Louis, not knowing what to think about him since he displays the charismatics of a leader but was also an asshole so I didn't know whether to respect or dislike him as Legosi gently flew down next to me and appeared thoughtful.

_"The audience is moved by his words...amazing," _Legosi commented in astonishment and I looked at him out of the corner of my eye to acknowledge what he said.

After that, we headed back to the club and I was busy working on the lights with Kai while he was currently complaining about what Louis said on stage.

"Coexistence? What a fucking joke!" Kai spat harshly and I shot him a look while we were sitting in the rafters and taking a break.

"Keep your damn voice down, okay?" I suggested calmly and Kai glared at me.

"He kicked me off the actor team so what do I care who hears!" Kai snapped as I saw the actors practicing below us and we stood up before heading to the railing and rested our arms on it as we watched the actors practice.

"I'm not as bitter as I was before, though," Kai admitted with a sigh.

"I'm glad to hear it," I said as I kept eye contact with the actors.

"I was wondering, have you ever thought about joining the actor team?" Kai asked and I was taken aback slightly by the unexpected question.

"What, me? Not really...anyway, the lights need a little adjusting," I changed the subject as I backed away from the railing and headed to the spotlights.

"Then, you must've been surprised when you were scouted by the Adviser," Kai pressed and I frowned.

"I'm sorry?" I questioned in confusion.

"You can only join this club if they scout you and it's exclusive to those who are worthy to represent the Drama Club," Kai clarified and I started adjusting one of the spotlights.

"Okay, but what do they judge you on?" I inquired curiously and Kai chuckled.

"Come on, don't tell me you joined the Drama Club without knowing any of this...for example, let's take Sheila from the dance team where at age fourteen, that cheetah was scouted while she worked part-time as a dominatrix at a BDSM club to make ends meet.

Mina the giraffe can't look at her own body because she's got trypophobia, Moro the rhino believe he sees his spirit animal when it's really his own horns in his line of sight, and in case you're wondering about me, I'm a mongoose who was abandoned at birth and raised by a family of hyenas so the list goes on and on.

The Drama Club is a mixture of unusual characters, so only those with unique circumstances can join. Basically, it operates with the general theme of exposing life for what it really is...so, Legosi, what's your secret?" Kai wondered and I froze up slightly as I looked at him with an unreadable expression.

"What's my secret?" I muttered as I recalled about my previous life and became lost in thought while I stared at Louis as he practiced.

_'If everyone here has some kind of secret, then what is Louis keeping to himself? A deer with a spotless reputation holding a dark secret from everyone...I wonder, is there a reason that I wound up in this world? Is it some kind of bullshit like God's plan?_

_God? God abandoned my world a long time ago after we killed ninety-nine percent of the human population in a blaze of nuclear fire so I doubt God gives a shit about me if that's the case,'_ I thought cynically while I went back to work.

* * *

After I was done with the spotlights, I continued the day as usual until the sun started setting and now I had arrived at Louis' office before knocking on the door, just as there was no response and I let myself in to see Louis kneeling on the floor and he turned his head to see me entering the office.

"Excuse me," I announced and caught a glimpse of Louis quickly grabbing something next to him and hiding it as he stood up and shot me a look that I couldn't figure out, then he headed to his chair until he sat down and stared at me with a pointed expression.

"Don't you knock?" Louis questioned irritably and I rubbed the back of my head with a pensive expression.

"I tried knocking but you didn't respond so I was a little concerned that something happened to you," I replied honestly as I gazed at Louis.

"What do you want?" Louis inquired and I cleared my throat.

"Um, I wanted to finalize tomorrow's lighting," I answered thoughtfully.

"Oh, you're in charge of that," Louis muttered and I didn't know if he was being condescended or not.

"Well, at yesterday's rehearsal, I focused on adjusting the spotlights even tighter on the last scene for a dramatic event," I explained and Louis arched a nonexistent brow.

"Yeah, I noticed," Louis stated.

"Was that better for you? Personally, I think that since it's the final scene, I'd think that I'd want some sort of lingering air to it but I wanted to know your opinion first before I make a decision about it," I explained and Louis adjusted in his seat before resting his head in his hand.

"Your body becomes aggressive every chance it gets...it's unpleasant," Louis pointed out and I quickly clasped my hands behind my back.

"Sorry about that, I clip my nails every day but they keep growing back sharp the next day," I apologized sheepishly as I avoided eye contact with an embarrassed look, then Louis suddenly stood up and started approaching me with a glare.

"You're saying that you can't resist it? Those feral instincts? You're struggling to keep them inside, is that it?" Louis questioned as I was forced to back up with an uncomfortable expression until Louis pushed me against the wall with a single hand and pinned me there while Legosi was appearing just as uneasy.

"H-Hey, what the hell are you doing?" I asked while looking tense but Louis ignored the question.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you for a while...why don't you take responsibility for who you are? If you can't hide it completely, I'd rather you show me your true self," Louis stated as he put his other hand around my neck and I decided that it was time to leave.

"Okay, I think I'm gonna leave now so let me go," I demanded with narrowed eyes and Louis smirked.

"There it is again, the look of a killer in your eyes so how about you show me the monster within you," Louis suggested and I glared at him for trying to push me into doing something stupid.

"You don't wanna do this, now let me go," I warned coldly and Louis scoffed in disgust.

"You're still holding yourself back...how pathetic, now show me your fangs," Louis ordered and I gritted my teeth while keeping my mouth closed.

"Carnivores exposing their fangs to herbivores is illegal so quit it-" I started to say and was rudely interrupted.

"I'm not just another fucking herbivore! Don't hold back now, large carnivores like you piss me off the most," Louis hissed as his hand rose up from my neck and started forcing my mouth open.

"Quit pretending and come at me with everything you got...go ahead, Legosi, bite me!" Louis shouted as he forced my mouth open and I trembled with my stress rising until I gently bit down without breaking his skin and Louis' eyes softened before I pushed him away.

"Get off!" I spat viciously as I staggered away from him and rested my hands on my knees as I breathed heavily, then I looked at him with a nasty glare.

"I'm not hiding my true self just so I can pretend, I'm hiding it because no one can ever see what I'm capable of...don't push me again because that's a road that you don't want to go down on. Listen, wolves are strong, but something about you is different and I admit that I respect you for being strong, even if you can be an asshole at times.

Tomorrow, everyone's coming to see that, to see that pure strength so be sure that fractured ankle is taken care of before it gets worse than it already is," I told him as I headed to the door and placed a hand on the knob before pausing.

"One more thing, you're right when you said that there's something different about me but you really don't want to go down that road, trust me," I warned until left the office and exited the building.

* * *

I was in the Library at a lone table in the back area for privacy and teaching Legosi what romance and sex were by looking it up on Zoozle on his laptop but he was having difficulties trying to grasp the concept and I took it slow so that he would have a better understanding of it.

_"So, romance is something where you feel an attachment to somebody that's completely different from how you see someone as a friend?" _Legosi asked curiously and I looked around to make sure no one was nearby before looking at him.

"It's a bit more complicated than that but I suppose you might look at it that way...basically, some of the biology classes I took when I was a kid explained that love is a chemical reaction in the brain but there are many different theories as to what love is," I whispered as I shut off the laptop and closed it while Legosi appeared to be pondering what I told him.

_"Let me get this straight, the reason why that rabbit wanted to have sex with you is that she loves you?"_ Legosi questioned with an expression of pure confusion and embarrassment as I shook my head.

"That wasn't love...listen, some girls have sex with boys because they either become addicted to the rush of endorphins, or they do it because they feel some kind of self-loathing and sex is the only way to experience a sense of control in their lives," I clarified just as the PA system came on.

"Attention all students, today is Territory Day. All students who still haven't used up their territory time, please move to the basement as soon as possible," the Headmaster announced as I looked up with an expression of surprise.

_'That's right, I nearly forgot that was today,'_ I thought in realization as I stood up and put the laptop in my backpack.

When I first heard about Territory Day on the PA system a couple of weeks after I arrived in this world, Legosi explained that it was a custom where the animals in this world spend one hour in a room that matches their individual environment every two days so that it helps to ease the stress of everyday life. I was curious about it and decided to see what it was about to keep my cover, then I spent one hour in the wolf room and was fascinated by how the device on the ceiling can simulate moonlight and how it brings a sense of relaxation.

The mechanical engineer in me wanted to see how the machine worked but I didn't go through with taking it apart because of how much trouble I would get into with the faculty for messing with school property so I let it go and decided to enjoy the room whenever Territory Day is announced, not to mention that it was a great place to think whenever I needed time to myself.

"Hey, Legosi, just starting, huh?" a male lion inquired after he left the lion room with his friends and I looked at him while I was approaching the wolf room.

"Yeah, so how did it go?" I asked and the lion smiled.

"Oh, we just slept under the shade of a tree," the lion replied and I nodded with a wave as I entered the wolf room with other members of Legosi's species.

After that, I was staring up at the artificial moon and feeling peaceful while Legosi was hovering near me and staring at the artificial moon with a sense of longing and I felt sympathy for him since he was unable to enjoy everything life had to offer anymore and I knew that there had to be a way for him to get his body back but I genuinely didn't know where to start and it wasn't like I could ask anyone for help because no one would believe me and there wasn't a way to prove it either.

"Nothing beats bathing in the moonlight, right Legosi?" a wolf told me and I nodded with a thoughtful frown as I recalled the scent of medicated compress on Louis' foot and his aggressive attitude, which made me wonder what was bothering him to cause his hatred against me.

"So, do you guys think that rabbits really live on the moon?" a female wolf inquired and I stared at her strangely from the bizarre question.

"How the hell are they suppose to breathe up there?" the male wolf questioned as I went back to looking up at the artificial moon and thought about the rabbit girl.

That was the first time I had ever been treated like that and it wasn't a bad thing, it made me feel different in a good way and what I told Louis made me think about how broken I was after 13 years of pure hell and how I just wanted peace but now I had reincarnated in a new world and was going through whole new problems so I didn't know if it was a string of bad luck or if I was fated to have tragedy and despair follow me wherever I go.

I stood up from my seat and as I looked at my reflection in the mirror on my right, I knew the answer now...I was a hardened survivor that suffered from years of torment, faced so many tragic events, and nearly lost my sanity, but some part of me wondered if I was here for a reason and if there was a second chance for me in this new life.

"What's up, Legosi?" the male wolf asked and I looked at him.

"Hmm? Well, I'm leaving," I replied and he blinked at that.

"Seriously? But it hasn't been an hour yet," the male wolf pointed out in confusion and I shrugged.

"I just feel like taking a walk to clear my head so I'm leaving," I stated as I headed to the exit and left the wolf room.

I headed out of the basement and hummed softly as I walked up a flight of stairs and approached a balcony before peering out with my arms resting on the stone and staring at the sunset calmly as Legosi was looking at me in confusion.

_"Connor, are you okay?" _Legosi asked and I made eye contact with an unreadable expression.

"Yeah...I'm fine," I replied quietly and went back to gazing outside while something rose up in me.

_'What is this feeling I'm experiencing? I feel like I saw a glimpse of a part of myself that I thought was long gone and that I'm at a brighter place, feeling like there's a drive that's giving me a purpose again,'_ I thought while my lips formed into a ghost of a smile.

_"Connor...my tail," _Legosi gasped and I looked behind me to see my tail wagging gently and I felt realization as I looked back outside.

_'I get it now, I'm truly happy...for the first time in 13 years, I'm genuinely happy like I've found a reason to keep going in this world so I'm going to accept this other feeling. I want to see that girl again,'_ I thought as my eyes softened and took a soulful expression and I knew Legosi could see just how tired and broken I was after years of survival.

* * *

A couple of hours later, the performance was being prepped and I was in the rafters with a headset as I waited for the go-ahead while Louis was giving a big speech to the actors and then they all got ready while I was watching.

_"Connor, what Louis-senpai said earlier, it sounded like he was telling it to himself," _Legosi pointed out and I nodded as I looked at him.

"Yeah...but why is the question," I muttered just as I was contacted by Kai.

"Louis' makeup is almost done so how's the lighting?" Kai inquired.

"Spotlight A is set," I reported and just as I said that, the curtain rose and I turned on the spotlight before Louis sprinted out in his Adler outfit and he slid down onto one knee, just as I caught him stumbling slightly and I frowned in concern since it looked like he could barely stand straight.

As the play started, I watched the performance and it never ceases to surprise me that Louis had a talent for it and as the final scene was going to end, my spotlight was pinpointed at Louis and Ellen while he took her hands.

"You followed me here, Ellen!" Louis gasped in fake horror as he pulled her into a hug and continued, "What have you done?! Being with you is my true desire...I'm the Grim Reaper and I'll prove my love through death!"

Just as he declared that, Ellen slid out of his arms and fell to his lap as he finished mournfully, "Ellen, you have bid farewell to this world."

The audience cheered as they gave a big round of applause and the curtain started closing, then the stage was almost covered when Louis suddenly collapsed unexpectedly and my eyes widened in shock as I stood up and took off my headset. I headed to the ladder and slid down it while everyone quickly headed over to Louis to check on him, just as I rushed over and moved Bill out of the way as I kneeled to see if Louis was okay.

I remembered his injury and moved his pant leg aside to check on it before I could see an ugly purple mark under his fur that wasn't covered by the bandages and I looked at Bill.

"Bill, notify the nurse and tell her that I'm bringing Louis to the infirmary," I instructed as I put one arm under Louis' legs and his arm around my shoulders, then Bill nodded and rushed into the back area as I gently picked up Louis and did a fast jog to the infirmary while making sure not to jostle his ankle against anything and hoped that he didn't have an infection.

* * *

A/N I have returned everybody. Sorry, I know you all were waiting for what happened next but I was waiting until the Netflix English dub came out and I binged the anime so that I could get my groove back again.

I've looked at the reviews and saw that a few of you had concerns that I was following canon, but let me put your fears at rest and say that I will be making changes and the only reason why there weren't any big changes to the story is that there weren't any huge events that would be changed but that doesn't mean that events won't go differently than what was seen in canon.

Anyway, I have a question and what do you think Connor's voice actors in Japanese dub and English dub would be like if he was added to the manga and anime. It would have to be people that are good at performing as a quiet and broken man so let me know your answer, tell me what you think about this chapter, and stay tuned.


	5. chapter 4

After I had taken Louis to the infirmary, the rest of the Drama Club members had met up with me and now we were waiting for Louis to regain consciousness while I was lost in thought.

_"I hope Louis-senpai is okay, Connor," _Legosi told me as he was floating above Dom and I looked at him with a hidden message in my eyes that told him I felt the same way, just as Louis started stirring and we all looked as he moved around and sat up before most of the Drama Club members perked up and cried out his name in relief.

"What the...wait, I remember. What about the audience?" Louis questioned as he looked at Sanou and Tao for answers.

"Don't worry, you collapsed after the curtain closed and they didn't see anything at all, though Legosi suddenly took charge and had Bill inform the nurse about your condition while he carried you here," Sanou explained and Louis shot me a look of surprise while I was feeling uncomfortable at being put in the spotlight.

"I see..." Louis trailed off as he eyed me for a few more seconds and looked down thoughtfully.

"Anyway, it's 8:00 PM and the medical team checked you out but according to them, you broke your left leg so it looks like you won't be able to take the stage for tomorrow's performance," Bill informed him bluntly and Louis looked at him in shock just as Sanou didn't look happy with Bill breaking the news in such a manner.

"Bill, please," Sanou reproached him sternly and Bill looked taken aback.

"What? What's the point of hiding the damn truth, especially from Louis-senpai?" Bill pointed out defensively.

"Yes, but even so..." Sanou trailed off and the other members started voicing their own opinion on the matter, just as I saw Louis looking more and more pissed while he clenched the blanket and he glared at everyone.

"So, one broken leg and now I'm some fucking helpless cripple to be coddled with?" Louis spat bitterly and everyone leaned back from his angry expression while I grimaced at his reaction.

"Oh, uh, no, we're just-" Sanou stuttered nervously and Louis ignored him as he looked at Bill.

"Bill, you'll be my replacement for tomorrow's show by playing Adler," Louis told him, causing Bill to start appearing stunned at first until his expression changed to excitement.

"A-Are you sure about that?!" Bill exclaimed excitingly and Louis nodded.

"Yes, of course I am because you've worked harder than anyone in the Drama Club and I hope you don't disappoint me," Louis told him and Bill put on a serious expression.

"I won't let you down, I swear," Bill vowed and Louis laid back down in the bed.

"See to it that you don't now get out of here," Louis said and Sanou looked at everyone.

"Alright, everybody, let's leave so that Louis-san can get some rest for tonight," Sanou suggested and we all left the infirmary before heading back to the Drama Club.

After we all headed back to the Drama Club, Bill and Sanou started chatting while the rest of us waited to see what'll be decided next since we were down an actor and someone needed to play Bill's part as an antagonist.

"The dance team and actor team are already working at full capacity," Bill notified Sanou, who looked at him.

"Who has similar stature as you and is available?" Sanou wondered thoughtfully and let out a noise of realization as he and Bill turned around to look at me, causing me to quickly duck behind a whiteboard.

"Legosi!" Sanou called out and I flinched before peering out with my ears flat against my head and holding an uncomfortable expression since I've never done acting before and the thought of an entire audience staring at me during tomorrow's performance made me nervous.

_'Oh, shit...' _I thought uneasily as Legosi floated over to me with a sympathetic expression.

_"Yeah, I know how you feel...I've been with the Drama Club for quite a while but I've never done acting before so technically this will be the first time I've performed on stage since it's my body you're possessing,"_ Legosi stated as I let out a shaky breath and walked into view before heading to Sanou and Bill.

* * *

After I was told what my role is and handed a kendo stick, I was gripping the practice sword while looking blue in the face as Bill was wearing Adler's skull and swinging his kendo stick around on stage during his dramatic made up speech that Louis didn't give him and he lifted the fake skull to show his face once he was done.

"And that's what he said," Bill said to Sanou and the pelican teacher sighed.

"I'm counting on you, Bill, and we'll rehearse all night if we have to," Sanou stated and Bill laughed.

"What the hell are you worried about? I know all the lines and the staging too so if I were you, I'd be more concerned about..." Bill trailed off and I knew that he was talking about me since I was standing in front of a table and holding the kendo stick like it was a lifeline as Kai came over and placed a box down onto the table while I sighed.

"Why the fuck are you acting so down like that? I'm the one who wants to perform but can't," Kai grumbled as he walked away and I looked at him.

"That's not the problem," I said as Kai left and I heard someone approaching me from behind before suddenly resting an arm on my shoulder and I looked to see that it was Bill.

"You'll be fine and even if you screw up, it won't affect the rest of the performance since it's a minor role after all," Bill told me and I shot him a deadpanned expression.

"If it's not that much of a problem, then why not eliminate it?" I questioned sarcastically and Bill chuckled as he playfully shook me.

"Legosi, I don't know where you got that smartass attitude, but I like it," Bill admitted while I sweatdropped and let out a noise of irritation.

_'Well, talk about an unexpected development...shit, this is not how I wanted to spend the evening,' _I thought dryly as Bill and I headed to the stage and stood across from each other once we climbed up onto the stage.

"You were handling the lights from above so you should have a good grasp of the staging already, now let's give it a try," Bill declared as I frowned and tested the kendo stick by twirling it and doing a few practice swings.

"Well, I haven't done this in a while-" I said and was cut off from saying anything else when Bill did a jump and tried to whack me, causing my training to kick in and I expertly blocked the strike before quickly dodging a few more attacks and blocking another swing with narrowed eyes and gritted teeth.

"Well, look at that...now that's what I'm talking about!" Bill exclaimed with a grin and my eyes turned cold and dead before I suddenly found myself back in the Wasteland with a Raider trying to stab me with a sword.

I threw him off with a shove and dodged a few more lethal attacks as I twirled my sword and did rapid strikes that forced the Raider on the defensive until I forced the blade to the ground and grappled with the Raider.

"Yep, you're definitely a gray wolf and I don't know how you got this good with a weapon but it's making me feel pumped and you wouldn't be able to act like this around a red deer!" the Raider growled as he broke out of my hold and swung at me but I blocked it while wondering what the hell he was talking about.

"Are you enjoying this, you sick bastard?!" I snarled as I battled for dominance so that I could kill this Raider and look for Dogmeat since I don't see him anywhere.

"Of course I am because I get to show off all my acting training on stage and it's what I worked for!" the Raider shouted before we did a deadly dance of blocking and swinging until we were struggling again and my blood started boiling at the thrill of making the world a safer place by killing this Raider.

"Hey, Legosi, whoever said that us carnivores can't be the ones to shine in the spotlight, huh? Tomorrow, I finally get to show everyone just how it is for an animal as powerful as me to exist in this world!" the Raider yelled and I roared as I pushed him back and kept swinging at him fluidly with expert strikes and he tried to defend himself.

I dodged the attack with ease and my counter came in a haze as I swung my sword down in front of the Raider's blade while simultaneously pushed up on the hand that held it, breaking the Raider's hold around the grip. Momentum drove my body around as I spun and swept my attacker's falling legs out from under him while grabbing the loosened sword from his hand and by the time the startled Raider landed on the ground, I had one blade against his neck and the other one pointed between his eyes as he looked alarmed.

_"Connor, calm down before you seriously hurt him!"_ I heard a familiar voice shout and I snapped out of it to see that I had Bill pinned to the floor with the two kendo sticks while he and the others were staring at me in shock and disbelief.

It was those looks and the stunned gasps that made my eyes widen in horror and I backed up while dropping the kendo sticks, feeling the adrenaline pumping through my body fast and causing my heart to race while my breathing came out in short, powerful gusts. As fucked up as it was, some dark part of me loved the danger and the action while it scared me at the same time, my mind knowing that this was wrong but my body loved it as my training gave me the skills but these combined instincts of a wolf and a human drove me.

It was quiet for about a minute as Bill stood up and groaned slightly while picking up his kendo stick, then the other club members suddenly broke out into cheers as they clapped at what I'd did.

"Holy crap, that was awesome!" Dom yelled in astonishment.

"Yeah, did you see how fast Legosi was?!" Kibi agreed as I avoided eye contact and shoved my hands in my pockets.

"Damn, Legosi, where the fuck did you learn how to do that?!" Bill exclaimed in disbelief as I grimaced from all the attention that was thrown on me and inwardly scolded myself for losing control in such a manner.

"Um...I've been taking self-defense classes," I lied uneasily while I felt embarrassed for what had just happened.

"I'll say...if that had been a real fight, I most likely would've been dead. Legosi, it'll be wolf vs tiger tomorrow so when it comes to our battle scene, there'll be no need to pretend and it'll be one hell of a show.

With what you just did, we'll give the audience a show that they've never seen before so we got this," Bill encouraged and I shrugged as I picked up the kendo stick and hopped off the stage before putting the sword down on a table and getting my backpack.

After I had said goodnight to the others and changed into my uniform, I left the practice building and remained lost in thought while Legosi was watching me until he cleared his throat to get my attention.

_"Connor...that was impressive and I guess it's true what that shadow said, that you killed so many lives. Why did you do it and what was the point of being responsible for so much carnage?" _Legosi inquired hesitantly and he looked taken aback when I chuckled and looked at him with a hollow expression.

"Why does anyone do the things that they do? Let me give you a piece of advice, stop digging and let it go because there are some things that you are better off not knowing and the less you know, the better," I warned bitterly as Legosi appeared unsettled by my empty tone of voice and dead look.

_"A-Anyway, Bill and I are both carnivores, right? How the hell did he come to that conclusion?" _Legosi wondered and I shrugged.

"Who knows, but I think he was just trying to be the tough guy when in reality, he was completely nervous about tomorrow," I stated while I was passing another building and heard the side door opening before looking and seeing Els leaving the building.

"Legosi!" Els called out and I waved.

"Oh, hey Els," I greeted as she ran up to me with a smile.

"Long day, huh?" Els asked and I flicked one of my ears as I pondered my next choice of words.

"Yeah, something like that," I muttered as we started walking back to our dorms together.

"I know it's been crazy, but I'm sure everything will be fine," Els said and I nodded as I looked at her.

"I think so too because Bill is something else," I admitted as I recalled what just happened and if it'll happen again.

"Well, I think you're amazing...listen, Bill's running around acting tough and all, but I know that he's actually really nervous. Legosi, he's going to need your support tomorrow so just remember that, okay?" Els told me and I hummed thoughtfully before looking at her with a small smile.

"Yeah, you're right," I agreed and Els suddenly grinned, much to my confusion.

"Wow, so you do smile!" Els cheered and I stared at her with a puzzled expression.

"What? Of course I do so what gave you the impression that I didn't?" I questioned in confusion and Els chuckled as I looked at her strangely.

"We're going to give it our best performance tomorrow, so goodnight," Els said as we arrived at our dorms and I nodded just before we went our separate ways.

"Goodnight," I told her with a wave until I headed back to my dorm and suddenly stopped before looking up at the moon and Legosi looked confused.

_"Connor, what is it?" _Legosi asked and I looked at him.

"You know, Bill makes it sound like a bigger deal than it really is, but I'm going to give it my best tomorrow as well," I stated before turning away from him and heading back to the dorm so that I could get some sleep for the big day tomorrow.

* * *

After I had gotten some sleep and woke up feeling fully refreshed, I had gone to my regular classes and now was the time for the play as I was in the backstage and sitting on a crate while reading through my script and memorizing the lines under my breath just as someone entered the room.

"Nearly showtime so did you sleep well?" Sanou inquired and I picked up an odd distinct coppery scent that was familiar until I stopped reading the script.

"Sure, why the hell not?" Bill reassured as I started sniffing the air to try and figure out where that scent was coming from and looked behind me, just as I discovered that the scent was coming from Bill while he looked at me oddly.

"Um, what is it?" Bill inquired hesitantly while I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"Anyway, Louis-sempai and I were out in the hall gossiping about you but it wasn't anything bad," Bill assured and I stood up, then I proceeded to walk over to him and got right into his personal space before sniffing deeply to find the origins of the scent as Bill leaned back with his hands up.

"Whoa, hey, you're kinda making me uncomfortable, pal," Bill admitted nervously as I discovered that the scent was coming from one of his pockets and glared up at him.

"Bill, what the hell-" I started questioning until I was cut off by Bill.

"Oh, I gotta hit the bathroom real quick!" Bill cried out and suddenly bolted out of the room and I looked at the others.

"Excuse me for a minute," I said and chased after Bill while Dom called out for me to hurry up before the show started.

I chased after Bill with a determined glare until we went into the nearby bathroom and Bill turned around before smirking at me with a hand on his hip.

"Oh, following me into the bathroom, huh? I didn't know you swung that way so are you in love with me or what?" Bill joked but I wasn't in the mood and shot a dark glare at him while clenching my fists.

"Bill, answer me this...what the fuck are you carrying on your person?" I interrogated and Bill looked taken aback for a second until he laughed.

"I should've known that a wolf like you would be able to sniff it out so do you want a taste? Is that what this is?" Bill inquired as he reached into one of the pockets on his Adler costume while I sniffed at the scent to try and figure out why it was so familiar to me until Bill took out a small glass bottle that had a red liquid in it.

"Wha...the hell is that?" I questioned dubiously with a complete puzzled expression as Bill held up the bottle so that I could see it better.

"It's rabbit blood," Bill answered and something just woke up in me while my eyes widened in horror and I suddenly heard dark whispering coming from nowhere as Bill smiled.

"Hey, it goes without saying, but it's not from a student. A senior who's a bit of a rebel gave it to me and I keep it in case of an emergency and this would qualify as one, don't you think?" Bill explained as pure rage rose up inside me while memories of looking at my hands soaked in blood and finding relief from using Chems to escape the horrors of the Wastes flooded my mind.

Then I recalled the rabbit girl and something in me just snapped as I rushed at Bill before grabbing his collar and pinning him against the wall, then Bill yelped with a startled expression before laughing nervously at the look of pure murder that was on my face.

"Shit, take it easy and hear me out! Legosi, it's easy to live like you, lurking in the shadows but unlike you, I want the damn spotlight! This is just justifiable doping, that's all! Why the fuck would you understand when you avoid the truth and act like an idiot for the sake of the herbivores?!" Bill shouted and hearing him say justifiable doping brought back memories of when I was in a bad place after my dad died, then I clenched the cloak's collar even harder with a vicious growl before I shoved him back and let go.

"Bill...I should be grateful, you showed me what'll happen next once we're on-stage and when we see each other on-stage...I will make you pay by putting the fear of God into you," I threatened coldly, causing Bill to look unsettled for a second before he walked past me and left the bathroom while I stared at the exit.

_"Connor, he's got a point because we have no right to judge him," _Legosi told me and he recoiled when I shot him a dead expression.

"You're wrong...I'm going to teach that fucking junkie a lesson he'll never forget and then he'll know what it's like to feel helpless and afraid...I'm done running," I hissed menacingly as I walked out of the bathroom and headed to the backstage.

* * *

After I had made it to backstage, I changed into my costume and took the prop sword before waiting until it was my turn to make an appearance, then I headed to the stage while Sanou and Sheila were voicing their concerns about Bill looking completely nervous until they saw me approaching them.

"Legosi? Oh, wow, they did a really good job at making you intimidating so how do you...feel?" Sanou inquired hesitantly as I passed him and Sheila with no signs that I had heard him while I entered the stage and Bill turned around to see me.

_'Alright, Bill...if you say that drinking rabbit blood is a justifiable performance enhancement, then show me what it does so that I can break you,'_ I thought darkly as I stepped into the light with a cold glare.

"There you are, you foul demon! I will show you the way to the other world so that your regrets shall-" Bill recited as he aimed his fake sword at me, then I tossed mine down and clenched a fist before rushing up to him and cutting him off by sending him spinning in mid-air with a nasty hit before he crashed to the ground and everyone around us gasped in shock as I headed over to Bill and got on top of him while his eyes were wide behind the Adler mask.

"Hey, are you fucking crazy?! We're in the middle of a performance so stop it!" Bill hissed quietly as I leered down at him and raised another fist.

"I told you that I would put the fear of God into you, Bill," I whispered coldly before I struck him again, then I knocked the mask off with a heavy strike and it went flying until it hit the ground near us as I saw that Bill's nose was bleeding and he had a black eye that was swelling up.

I heard the audience whispering to each other about how this wasn't a part of the play, but I ignored it as I finally gave in to the killer in me and just kept hitting Bill until more memories of death and carnage popped up in my mind, then I started letting out grunts of anger and rage until it turned into full-on screams of fury and anguish when the memory of being forced to leave the Vault a second time by Amata caused me to turn my heavy strikes into complete rapid pounding as I had lost any sense of control and just wanted to kill again.

Then, one of my fists was grabbed and I snapped out of my bloodlust to see that Bill was holding my fist and wheezing in pain while his face looked like a bruised and mashed apple.

"That's enough...Legosi," Bill choked as he forced me back and stood up until we were grappling with each other.

"Is this some kind of fucking punishment and do you think you're the perfect carnivore? Well, let me tell you, you're not," Bill growled as we struggled and turned until I was facing the audience and he put me in a bear hug.

"You smelled rabbit blood before, isn't that right? Was it your prey and did you kill it?" Bill whispered and I just let out a quiet groan as his grip got tighter.

_'God, I can't take this anymore,' _I thought as I gasped in pain and Bill continued to say his lines before I started feeling what appeared to be many sharp objects ripping into my flesh.

_'Fuck...he's ripping my back apart,' _I thought as I let out choking noises of agony from Bill's claws carving my back like a Christmas turkey.

"You need to calm down for my sake and this is the proof of our bond...we'll both have stripes where we'll wear with pride," Bill told me as I gritted my teeth from his claws raking my flesh and kicked him in the groin in a desperate move, causing Bill to let out a choke before he let me go and clutched his groin as I kept standing and swayed with a dazed expression.

"Fuck...you," I wheezed as I was running on sheer willpower and Bill looked at me with a pained grimace.

"Legosi...God, you can barely stand at all, now just give up so the show can go on," Bill told me while wincing and I glared at him weakly before I stumbled to him with my fists raised, just as I slipped and collapsed onto my back before grunting in pain.

"O sad wolf, accept your fate!" Bill declared as he picked up his sword and walked over until he stood above me with a grin.

"I'm the star so let me lend the final blow while I look at you right in the eyes," Bill stated as he sent his foot onto my chest and I gritted my teeth in pain as Bill raised his sword.

Just as Bill swung the sword down, my blade came out of nowhere and sent it spinning into the air just before I saw that it was Louis and Bill turned around until his eyes widened in shock at the sight of Louis being on-stage.

"You are having way too much fun," Louis said and the audience gasped excitingly as Louis placed the Adler skull on his head.

"Unfortunately, you're going to have to play the villain now," Louis stated as he covered his face with the skull and aimed his sword at Bill.

"I know who you are...let me show you, imposter, who the real Shinigami is!" Louis declared as the audience went wild and broke out cheering at the top of their lungs while I sat up weakly and grimaced at the nasty pain that flared in my back.

"Legosi, leave the rest to me and don't let the audience see your back," Louis told me and I looked at him in surprise since he should be recovering right now but he was here and putting on his role as Adler to save me.

"Back down if you're not prepared and the many sins you created, I know about them all so why don't you drink my blood too?! That's how you'll become a true Shinigami! Now leave, I've no time for imposters!" Louis demanded dramatically and Bill backed up with gritted teeth before turning around and rushing to the backstage as the lights shut off and the spotlight shone on us.

As Louis said his final line, I gazed up at him as he turned around and held out a hand before guilt hit me and I hated myself for what had happened because of the animal blood doping bringing back a part of my past that I wanted to forget, then I looked away from Louis as shame rose up from nearly killing Bill and acting like an uncontrollable animal.

"It's okay, you're alright now," Louis reassured and I looked at him again before hesitantly reaching out and grabbing his hand until Louis helped me to my feet and the audience cheered as I looked at Louis.

_'The cheers won't stop...I wonder what they think about this performance and how will the others react?'_ I thought as we headed backstage and after a while, Dom was busy disinfecting my back until he started bandaging it.

"The performance was a success, on the outside at least. The audience was really happy and left the building completely satisfied, but that fight of yours scared the hell out of us so if you don't make us understand what happened out there, the herbivore members won't be able to associate with you two anymore," Sheila lectured and I stared at her with a stoic expression.

"I'm fine, though, since I'm busy stopping the bleeding," Dom chimed in as he was finishing up.

"It looked like Legosi started the fight," Sanou pointed out and I looked at him.

"Yeah, I did," I confirmed and the others appeared to be shocked at my confession.

"Why?" Sanou questioned and I shook my head.

"I can't say," I replied and the others looked at me in concern.

"I don't get it, you're normally so quiet and you're both carnivores so try talking to each other," Sheila stated with a worried expression.

"Louis looked absolutely livid when he left from the rear entrance after the performance ended so if I were you two, I'd go see him right now," Sanou said as I was putting on my shirt and buttoning it up when Bill flinched at that.

"Wait, us?!" Bill exclaimed in disbelief and Sheila sent him a firm look while Sanou appeared to be just as stern with us.

"Yeah, you two, so go thank and apologize to him because if you don't get this over with, we'll all avoid contact with you and don't you dare start fighting right when you leave!" Sheila snapped irritably just before Bill and I glared at each other until I sighed and gestured for him to follow me as we left the backstage.

"Hey, Legosi," Bill spoke up after a short awkward silence.

"What?" I questioned while avoiding eye contact with him.

"Why the hell didn't you tell them that I drank rabbit blood? What's your fucking game?" Bill interrogated and I shrugged.

"There wasn't any reason for them to know that since they already had to deal with us trying to kill each other," I answered and pursed my lips at the thought of what I did.

"Well, the real problem is that Louis-sempai seems to know, considering what he said when he was on stage and if that's the case...shit, he might as well tell everyone and my eye is swelling up along with my nuts aching something fierce after you kicked me there.

Seriously, not cool at all because you just don't kick a guy in the nuts," Bill told me and I huffed.

"Cry me a river, I won't be able to wear my suspenders for a while since it'll cause the injuries on my back to flare up," I grumbled as I shoved my hands in my pockets.

"Eh, you'll be fine with saggy pants...hey, Legosi, your punches and the low blow really hurt, but you didn't beat the shit out of me so that I could claw you, I can tell. You kicked the shit out of me because you wanted to feel like you were in the right since I could tell how desperate your hits were.

I don't know what kind of attachment you have towards rabbits, but there's no use fighting it because we're carnivores and we both have the same markings-" Bill lectured and was cut off from saying anything else when I shoved past him and moved ahead with a glare.

"That's not the reason why I beat the shit out of you...there are two things I despise in this world and that is not only someone who can find comfort in a performance enhancer, but who thinks they can cheat their way to the top with said performance enhancer.

That kind of filthy habit and arrogance pisses me off like you won't believe," I snapped irritably.

"Hey, the hell's with that attitude?! You're a sheep in wolf's clothing!" Bill insulted and I shot him a nasty glare.

"Whatever, dickhead, now quit fucking following me!" I shouted as we shot looks of murder at each other.

"What the hell do you mean?! We're going together to apologize, dammit!" Bill retorted and I gritted my teeth until I took a deep breath to calm down.

"You know what, how about we both shut the fuck up before something stupid happens again," I suggested and Bill nodded.

"Fine with me," Bill agreed and it became silent after that as we headed to the rear entrance to find Louis.

* * *

A/N Hey everyone, I have returned and I want to explain why I haven't been on this site in a while. The reason why is that one of my cats, who had been with me for 14 and a half years, had passed away from stomach cancer so I needed to take a step back from writing so that I could pull myself together because it was really hard losing her since she was a part of the family.

Anyway, I'm back and have recovered enough that I'm going to get back to writing more content for you all to enjoy and as for why Connor just lost it when Bill revealed his doping, I had put down that Connor had turned to addiction with Chems after his father died in a horrible manner so discovering Bill drink rabbit blood to enjoy the high it gives to carnivores brought back memories of his addiction back in the Wasteland and a PTSD episode kicked in.

I did this because I wanted to emphasize that Connor is far from okay and even though it looks like he has his shit together, he's still in a very bad place and certain things will set him off like either being attacked unexpectedly like the sword practice he and Bill did or Bill revealing his doping.

Well, enough about me rambling and I hope I'll be able to keep writing without having some kind of relapse, so let me know what you think about this chapter and stay tuned.


	6. Chapter 5

After Bill and I left the building through the backdoors, we found Louis waiting for us and he showed just how pissed he was by really laying into us on what just happened on stage.

"I'm completely appalled with you two...you're free to brawl all you want out here but not onstage so how the hell do you expect to apologize for all of that?" Louis snapped and I flinched slightly until guilt rose up again and I could barely keep eye contact with him.

"Um, well, I don't really know where to start," Bill admitted just before Louis shoved something into his hand and Bill opened it until I could see that it was the small bottle filled with blood.

"Honestly, I couldn't give a shit that you drink a small animal's blood to pep yourself up since it was just a coincidence that I heard about it. You see, unlike Legosi, I never expected better of you but the problem is that the two of you shed blood onstage like a bunch of reckless, senseless monsters!

If I wasn't there to break it up, would you have actually killed each other?! You both are savages as far as I'm concerned...as the actors' team lead, I'm suspending the two of you from Drama Club until further notice," Louis decided lividly as I looked down feeling ashamed until I noticed something in front of the steps and my eyes widened when I looked up and saw a crowd of animals with their phones and notebooks out.

"Um, Louis-sempai-" Bill tried to warn as he also noticed the crowd but he was interrupted.

"Quiet, I don't want any excuses so don't bother coming to rehearsal tomorrow. I could've kicked you both out but-" Louis stated until Bill cut him off by gesturing behind him.

"Sempai, look behind you," Bill whispered frantically while I was sweating and Louis looked confused at first until he looked back and saw the crowd, who started cheering wildly while I could see Louis stiffening up at the sight.

"Sorry to bother you, but I'm with the PR department and I'd like to interview you about the performance so is this a good time for that?!" one of the journalists inquired over the loud cheering and I held up a hand to cover my face so that I wouldn't be blinded by the flashes and to avoid getting my picture taken while Legosi was hovering nearby and appearing more than uncomfortable at this unexpected turn of events.

"Uh, sempai, what the fuck do we do?" Bill questioned nervously and at that moment, Louis looked hesitant like any other 18-year-old kid until he shook it off and narrowed his eyes at us.

"Listen, forget what I said because the performance was a success and it was just as we rehearsed so to keep it a success, we will act like there weren't any problems, understand?" Louis instructed quietly and I gulped before nodding along with Bill.

"Y-Yeah, of course," I answered while Bill also voiced his agreement.

"The story of the recent performance is completely different from the previous one so was this planned all along?" the female raccoon questioned and Louis turned around before I could see him putting up a pleasant front.

"Yes, of course, because we decided to add another element to the ending," Louis lied while I held a very uncomfortable and nervous smile.

"Oh, I thought so and you took the audience by surprise so could you elaborate more on that?" the raccoon asked and Louis nodded as he put one hand on my shoulder and the other one on Bill's back, but I grimaced slightly when I felt him gripping my shoulder tight to express just how pissed he was.

"Of course, it was a big challenge for all of us so I hope it left a significant impression on some of the younger students as well. You see, the world we live in today is very complex and we all tend to hide, suppress, and fight each other constantly as we try and live our lives, so there's no right or wrong.

But, as long as you live with a true conviction, you're bound to shine and stand out so even if you're rough around the edges or crude, you'll have the conviction to send that message these two successfully did onstage.

Well, that will be all for me so feel free to ask any questions for these two," Louis said as he let go on my shoulder and Bill's back, then he sent a glance at me as he was limping away with a crutch and I started pondering what he said.

_'Those words...was he aiming them at me?' _I thought as Bill and I were forced to answer any questions the school reporters had but I kept it short and headed back to the dorm so that I could get some sleep.

* * *

After I had gotten a restless sleep and suffered from nightmares of my hellish experiences in the Wastes, I had woken up and took a quick shower to energize myself before heading to my classes after chatting with my roommates, then I had to deal with many animals staring at me and whispering to each other until I was in an irritable mood when lunchtime came and I couldn't take it anymore so I decided to have Jack get our lunch and stay in the drained swimming pool so that I wouldn't have to deal with being stared at and treated like I was something put on display.

"Hey, think fast!" Jack announced suddenly just as something was thrown at me and I caught it in my arms before I could see that it was a bag of food.

"Got your favorite, egg salad sandwich and unsweetened soy milk," Jack said as he approached and sat down next to me until he started munching on an egg roll.

"Thanks..." I trailed off quietly as I opened the bag and took out a sandwich while I could see Jack eyeing me out of the corner of my eye.

"Hey, Legosi, good call not going to the cafeteria or kiosk today," Jack said with a full mouth and I slumped forward as I made a face at that.

"I knew it...so, how did it go?" I inquired hesitantly and Jack looked at me with an arched brow.

"Uh, let's just say that your little improv last night made the front page of the school paper and everybody bought one," Jack explained and my eyes widened as I jerked back.

"That made the front page and everybody bought one?! You're shitting me, right?!" I exclaimed in disbelief and Jack lifted a newspaper showing me with Bill and Louis, though I looked like I wanted to be anywhere else but there on the picture.

"Nope, and it's a great picture so I bought myself a copy as well~" Jack sang cheerfully and started commenting on what was in the newspaper, but I didn't listen while I felt completely mortified at the knowledge that everyone in the entire school knew about my enraged beating that I carried out on Bill until Legosi flew down.

_"Connor, Jack was definitely there last night and if he's sitting there with you right now, then he probably didn't notice that you weren't acting on that stage,"_ Legosi pointed out and I pursed my lips at the reminder until Jack laughed and I regained my focus on what he was saying.

"Seriously, this shot is totally incredible and I didn't know that you and Louis-sempai became such close friends," Jack said with a grin and I sighed as I looked away.

"Well, it's not like that because a lot happened up there, which is why that article doesn't show...you know," I muttered and added, "Louis-sempai is just amazing, that's all."

_'Fuck me, I'm causing that kid all kinds of problems because of my temper...I can't even look at him in the eye,' _I thought with a depression cloud hanging over me.

"Legosi, did you get it out of your system?" Jack asked suddenly and I looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Out of my system? What the hell are you talking about?" I questioned in confusion.

"I'm talking about the brawl scene last night, which wasn't an act," Jack clarified and I recoiled with my eyes bugged out.

"H-How the fuck did you find out about that?!" I yelped incredulously as I accidentally dropped my sandwich.

"Hey, come on, don't waste it!" Jack lectured as he got up from his seat and kneeled down to pick up the sandwich before brushing it off.

"Seriously, did you think I wouldn't notice and we've known each other for how many years? Here, five-second rule and you know you want it," Jack encouraged playfully as he held out the sandwich and I took it hesitantly before taking a bite.

"I hope you cheer up soon because I know you can easily get depressed," Jack stated and I hummed thoughtfully as I stared at the puddle of water that had a few butterflies resting in it.

"I didn't want that to change," I admitted and I felt Jack's eyes on me.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked in confusion and I sighed as I recalled my father and how he sacrificed everything to make sure I was safe while I had lost parts of myself that I would never get back.

"I tried to move on from my depression and the darkness inside me without anyone helping me and I've lived with this for a long time...but yesterday, I realized for the first time that it wasn't enough anymore and I just carry so much anger and rage in me at how cruel and unfair the world could be.

At that moment, I couldn't take it anymore and something in me just snapped...I wanted to let out all that rage that had been inside me for so long, even if it meant tearing apart the entire stage and throwing it into chaos.

My feelings are what they are and they belong to me, something I've tried to come to terms with and it's hard to explain," I admitted as I stood up and took a few steps away from Jack before looking up at the blue sky.

_'What is this? Why am I revealing something so personal to him?' _I thought in confusion since I've never confessed something like this to anyone in my previous life, not even my closest allies.

"It's great to have moments like that but you don't like it, Legosi?" Jack inquired and I looked back.

"Hmm...to be honest, I'm not so sure," I replied with a frown and Jack laughed while I made a face at that.

"Come on, don't be such a grouch but that was good because you're full of life right now, Legosi," Jack told me and I perked up slightly.

"Oh, really?" I questioned since I didn't feel lively and Jack chuckled.

"Don't worry, you're going to be okay," Jack reassured and I didn't know how to respond to that as we went back to eating our lunch.

I couldn't help but envy Jack, just dealing with all of the bullshit with a smile and a cheerful attitude and he reminded me of that Nuka Cola collector who owned a museum of them but I just focused on eating my lunch and not get lost in thought.

* * *

Once we finished up and headed back inside, we dumped our trash in a bin and continued chatting while we were heading to class.

"Yeah, I have to admit, I've been worried about you since it not only seems like you've been having a rough time, you've also been acting differently than before so is there any particular reason I should know about?" Jack asked in concern and I knew that he was starting to get suspicious since, lately, I haven't been acting like the Legosi he knows and I felt tense.

"A reason? Huh, I don't really know," I lied and tried to stay calm as Jack looked thoughtful.

"Could it be...you fell in love?" Jack inquired with a smirk and I froze with widened eyes as Jack did a little dance with his tail swaying.

"Oh, my tail is swinging, maybe I'm in love~ Le-Le-Legosi..." Jack sang while I was staring at him like he had two heads, then Jack trailed off and spun around with a look of shock before quickly walking up to me.

_'Oh, hell no,' _I thought as I started walking away from him fast to escape what was coming but Jack caught up to me stuttering as I sweatdropped.

"Are you serious?! You, who's never had a girlfriend since the beginning of never?! Holy crap, you really have changed!" Jack exclaimed excitingly and I held up a hand to try and shut him up.

"Let's hurry to class because fifth period is starting and we're going to be late," I evaded with an uncomfortable expression but Jack still wouldn't shut up.

"Let me guess..if it's a female wolf in our class and there's four of them, which narrows things down unless I'm completely off track," Jack theorized happily and I grimaced since he was kinda being a little annoying.

"Well, that part's true," I admitted and my eyes widened in horror at letting that slip out while Jack gasped.

"Are you saying she's not a wolf?! Is she even a canine?!" Jack yelped and I groaned warily as I tried to ignore him.

_'Christ, now this kid is never going to leave me alone about this,' _I thought as I changed the subject and we kept chatting as we headed to class.

* * *

I sniffed the air and enjoyed the scent of spring after me and the other 701 canines were done trimming our fur so that we could sell it, then I became lost in thought as I reflected on a lot of things.

It had been a month since the incident onstage and my back had healed up nicely but the downside is that I now had fresh scars for anyone to see if I ever take off my shirt, though it wasn't all that bad since I have been busy keeping my temper under control so that another incident doesn't happen again and I've been feeling...lighter for some reason I couldn't explain.

"Yep, just like every year, more whites and grays," Jack remarked as we stared at the large pile of hair that was on a pair of newspapers on the ground.

"It's probably mine and Legosi's," Collot stated and Durham shrugged.

"Maybe, but there sure is a bunch more than last year," Durham pointed out while Miguno smiled.

"You guys ready to take it to the yarn shop?" Miguno asked eagerly and I formed a small smile at his anticipation.

"We're gonna make some yen~" Jack sang happily while Voss shifted around a little on my shoulder.

"I get a cut too, don't I?" Voss reminded us and we all transported the pile of hair to the yarn shop for money, then I had gone to class while I adjusted my blue summer t-shirt that had the school's insignia on one of its short sleeves.

As the day went by, I thought about how everyone in school always gets excited when summer comes around and I didn't see the point in it while Legosi once told me that he always assumed everyone is anxious and excited because of the upcoming festival that was coming soon, which was set up to strangely honor the spirits of the dinosaurs that went extinct but the real reason for everyone's anticipation was the lighting ceremony where couples would light candles together and it was something I have never understood throughout the time I've been in this world.

Once class was over, I had headed to the Drama Club and now Sanou was making an announcement about the Meteor Festival while everyone was listening.

"Just like last year, we were invited to participate in the festival of the meteor!" Sanou declared as he held up a poster of the festival and the actors cheered as he continued, "Of course, we plan to accept."

"That's awesome and we get to roam around town without an outing permit again this summer, talk about cool!" Sheila cheered excitingly while Tao voiced his agreement.

"Now, remember guys, this isn't for fun because we're going there to help out with the festival," Sanou pointed out and the actors made noises of excitement, though my fellow stage crew members weren't as happy while Dom frowned.

"Looks like the art department is going to be busy this year so why don't we discuss it in the storage room," Dom suggested and the rest of us sighed with disheartened expressions before we got up from our seats and headed to the storage room until we were staring up at the large model of a T-Rex.

"We can't use the same sculpture again this year," Fudge pointed out and Kai sighed.

"Seriously, why does it have to be a dinosaur, anyway? Can't we just pick something easier?" Kai complained and Dom frowned at him.

"Dinosaurs are the ancestors of all animals and their very existence is significant...it all happened one summer when a meteor hit the planet, which caused them to go extinct," Dom explained and Kibi nodded.

"They say it's a festival where we welcome the ghosts of extinct dinosaurs, but no one really cares about that since the real thing everyone's excited for is the lighting ceremony on the final day where couples light candles in the meteor together to live happily for the rest of their lives, so they say anyway," Kibi added as we left the building and walked to the cafeteria as the sun started setting.

"It's just a time for people to have some fun so the actor teams will be goofing off with their boyfriends and girlfriends most of the time, anyway, so who the hell cares?" Kai grumbled while Dom looked back at him.

"Come on, they're relying on the art department to come through," Dom reasoned and Kai shot him a dry expression.

"That's not the point, the point is that they are putting all this extra work on us because we look like we're not doing anything and just being lazy bastards," Kai stated in frustration.

"Well, maybe they should give us a damn break once in a while since we got one member who gets out of control whenever he gets really fucking pissed and it's pretty stressful," Fudge commented and I knew that he was talking about me as I grimaced slightly from the reminder and Dom noticed until he laughed nervously and smiled awkwardly.

"Uh, just so you know, we're not worried about that anymore and how's your back?" Dom asked me and I shrugged.

"It's healed up nicely, though I'm definitely going to be having a few scars," I said and Dom cringed before he cleared his throat.

"A-Anyway, it's good that your back is doing so much better now and I'm glad to hear that so let's go to the cafeteria and get dinner," Dom suggested to change the subject and I paused when I picked up a familiar scent coming from one of the main buildings and my eyes widened.

"Sorry, but I have someplace to be so I'll see you later," I lied as I bowed and took off jogging to the building until I found it and went inside, then I followed the scent before I heard the rabbit girl shouting at the top of her lungs.

When I turned around a corner, I could see her all wet while she was taking her frustrations out on three girls until I approached her while her back is turned and took out a clean handkerchief as the girls trembled and held each other at the sight of me, causing me to flinch as the girl finished shouting at them and they screamed in complete terror while they fled in the other direction and the girl chuckled as she made herself look smug.

"Well, guess I made my point and it's not like they didn't deserve it," the girl muttered victoriously and I felt awkward that she didn't realize that I was right behind her.

"Go ahead, rip her apart!" one of the three girls shouted to me and the rabbit girl appeared to be confused judging by her body language, then she turned around and looked up at me as I held out the handkerchief for her to take.

"Oh, it's you," the girl said in surprise and I gulped slightly since I wasn't expecting to see her again.

_'Shit, this is really uncomfortable for me so what do I say to her? I should ask her if she's okay and...I've been thinking about her all month and forgotten how small she is,' _I thought nervously as I saw the girl kneeling down to check on the flowers that were on the ground next to a broken pot, then I stuffed the handkerchief back into my pocket and leaned down to pick up a withered flower.

"Um, are you okay?" I asked in concern while I was leaning down right in front of her, only to be taken aback when she huffed and stood up with a frown.

"I appreciate the thought, but I don't accept any pity from a guy that I slept with so excuse me," the girl stated as she went to leave and I cleared my throat.

"Actually, we didn't have sex that day," I pointed out and the girl paused before her face took on a look of realization.

"Oh, that's right...I'm kinda hungry after yelling so much, so did you have dinner yet?" the girl offered and I was surprised that she wanted to have dinner with me.

"Before we head to the cafeteria, could you tell me your name?" I inquired and the girl nodded.

"Sure, I'm Haru so how about you?" Haru introduced and I cleared my throat.

"Legosi, and it's nice to meet you, Haru," I said as we gathered the flowers and the shards of the broken pot before we took care of them and headed to the cafeteria for dinner.

* * *

After we had headed to the cafeteria and got our dinner before sitting across from each other at a table, I was taking a sip from my drink and trying to ignore the stares and whispering that were no doubt about me and Haru since it is not every day a wolf and a rabbit would sit together at dinner time as Haru was taking a bite from her dinner.

"Hey, thanks for letting me sit on your backpack since I'm at the perfect height now," Haru spoke up and I smiled hesitantly.

"No problem, I'm happy to loan you my backpack for a short time," I said while fidgeting around in my seat uncomfortably.

_'Oh hell, this is so fucking awkward and I don't even know what to say to her...I've been through a lot for thirteen years of my adult life ever since I was nineteen and I thought I had managed to find peace after getting killed, only to wind up in this world and possessing a kid's body while dealing with new problems that seem to crop up out of nowhere._

_Jesus, I thought I was moving forward but I'm not going anywhere so talk about embarrassing, and nothing has changed because I can't even have a decent conversation with a girl since I had spent most of my adult life killing people and monsters while only talking to civilized people so that I can find out more information and ask for any jobs that they want me to do,'_ I thought as depression lines formed above my head and I twitched.

"This is pretty good...listen, I don't know what's going on but cheer up and eat your food because you won't grow up to be a healthy adult," Haru said in concern and I snapped out of my line of thought before chuckling uncomfortably.

"Right, I forgot about that," I commented and started eating, only I made sure to do it without showing my teeth so that I wouldn't scare her by accident and Haru laughed in amusement.

"You know, I'm really not excited for mid-terms since history is my worst subject," Haru remarked and Legosi stared at her while he was floating next to me.

_"Huh, her voice is like a lonely child and it's kinda unusual," _Legosi muttered and I got lost in my train of thought while I stared at Haru, who was taking a big bite and I did the same thing unconsciously while she swallowed and cleared her throat.

"That's kinda nasty and it's not polite to stare at a girl so intently while she's eating," Haru pointed out, causing me to snap out of it and I blushed while I swallowed and coughed awkwardly.

"Sorry, I drifted off there for a second and I tend to do that while I'm thinking," I stated in embarrassment, and Haru chuckled.

"Relax, I'm just kidding and I wanted to apologize for what happened the first time we met, so I'm glad we got to talk. It's just...I had my mind set on sleeping with a wolf during that time you were there, but you left right after you covered me with that blanket and I really believed that I was saved by your decision that day, to be perfectly honest," Haru admitted and I felt even guiltier that I had gotten her to come to the wrong conclusion that day and made her think that I wanted to have sex with her.

"No, I should be the one to apologize since I was being really shy and I'm not too good with talking to other people, so I want to say sorry for turning that into a misunderstanding," I told her with a guilty expression and it became quiet after that as we continued eating our dinner, though I noticed from Haru's body language that she was more than uncomfortable for some reason.

_'Haru, something tells me that you don't want to see me anymore and things can't end where I had seen you without your clothes, but I've never asked anything about you or wanted to ask if you want to be friends with me._

_Is this even the right time to ask if she wants to be my friend, to close the gap that's between us?' _I thought in uncertainty and decided to suck it up before I took in a deep breath.

"By the way-" I started to say and was cut off as Haru stood up with her empty tray.

"That was delicious and thanks for having dinner with me since that was quite a treat. Anyway, I'm going back to dorms, so what about you?" Haru asked while I was frozen until I shook it off.

"Yeah, same here," I said as I also stood up, then we put our trash in the bin and headed to the dorms until Haru stopped and kneeled down.

"Hold on, my shoe latch came loose so give me a second," Haru informed me and went to fix the problem, but I could see that she was having trouble and I cleared my throat to get her attention.

"Here, let me help," I said as I went in front of her and also kneeled down before I fixed the problem and looked up at her, then I became drawn to her eyes until a warm feeling rose up inside me as I was lost in her gaze.

"Huh, your eyes are pretty," I muttered thoughtfully and Haru chuckled in amusement.

"What was that all about?" Haru inquired and I realized what I said before I looked away bashfully while blushing.

"It's nothing, I was just surprised since I've never seen them up close before," I explained sheepishly and Haru smiled at me.

"It's okay, I'm actually flattered that you think my eyes are pretty so thank you for the compliment," Haru reassured and I felt something that I haven't felt in a long time, pure happiness as I realized something.

_'Wait, maybe I was the one creating the gap all along because I was afraid to get close to her...Haru, I want to keep seeing you smile and see you more often so if I have to look into your eyes again, I'll do anything no matter what it takes,' _I thought as I felt my tail wagging and sweeping the ground while something about this girl was bringing back a part of myself that I thought I had lost.

After that, I stood up and we headed back to our dorms while I was hoping I would see her again, then we said our goodnights until we separated and I made it back to room 701 until I went to bed and the first time in a long time, I fell asleep feeling content and didn't have any nightmares tonight.

* * *

A/N Sorry for keeping you all waiting, I was working on my other stories so I'm back to finish this chapter and I'm eager to start the next one since it'll be Connor's first look at the dark part of the world of Beastars and it'll remind him of the Wasteland while he encounters our favorite panda for the first time so I wonder how that will go.

Anyway, as you no doubt already know, Connor will be the one to fall in love with Haru since she's not treating him like a messiah or a monster, but an actual person and we can see that he's healing from the horrible trauma of what he went through, but he'll be socially awkward and distant until he moves on from his dark past since he's used to being a killer and hardened survivor, so socializing with others in this new world is uncharted territory for him and he's struggling to adjust to civilian life because of it.

One more thing, I'm going to be changing the chapter titles from episodes to chapters since I want to keep going and not have to wait for the second season of the anime, so it'll be the manga once I'm done and I can't wait for Connor's first meeting with Melon once I reach that point and I have something special planned during the fight with Tem's killer so I can guarantee that you won't be expecting it.

Well, let me know what you think about the chapter and stay tuned.


	7. Chapter 6

It had been a few days since I had seen Haru and everything had gone on as usual until today while me, Jack, and Durham were playing chess against two herbivores in a break room before the news started talking about a murder that happened in a nearby city and we stopped playing to watch it while Jack sighed.

"Damn, talk about a dangerous world out there," Jack muttered as the reporter described the murder of the herbivore being caused by a group of carnivores and how they were on the run from the police while I shook my head.

_'Murder...no matter where I go, I always seem to find it,'_ I thought cynically as the herbivores tensed up.

"Shit, this isn't good," the gazelle commented before he and an antelope stood up from their seats.

"I'm heading back to my dorm and you guys were about to win anyway, so we'll just tell everyone that you already did," the antelope stated as he and his friend left the break room before Jack could say anything and I saw him looking hurt at the alienation before I patted his head in concern and Durham quit leaning against the wall to approach us.

"Hey, cheer up because it's nothing we haven't seen before," Durham reassured and I stood up to pack up everything that was on our table.

"Jack, help me pack everything up," I said and Jack helped me while Durham turned his attention to me.

"Legosi, do you have drama club later?" Durham asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, in an hour," I answered shortly while Jack and I packed up the chess pieces and the board before putting them away on a shelf and left the break room, just before we were glared at by other students in a short while until a kangaroo shot a nasty glare at us and Durham didn't take too kindly to it.

"What the fuck are you looking at, asshole?" Durham snapped irritably and barked at him until I grabbed his shoulder.

"Durham, just let it go before you make things worse," I lectured and Durham sighed as I took my hand off his shoulder.

"Sorry, I'm just sick and tired of being treated like the plague by those ignorant assholes who think they can judge all of us just because of the actions of a few, but they'll forget about it tomorrow so there's that at least," Durham grumbled and I nodded in agreement until I noticed that my shoulders were lighter and promptly swore as I felt like facepalming for forgetting my backpack.

"Sorry guys, I forgot my backpack so I'll see you later," I said and Durham chuckled.

"God, you can be such an airhead sometimes but yeah, we'll see you later so have fun at drama club," Durham teased while Jack waved, then I sent them a nod before heading back at the break room to get my backpack and now I was walking through the halls alone.

_"Honestly, Connor, carnivores should be used to this by now but we're still angry and frustrated by all the hate that's being thrown at us just because of the actions of a few," _Legosi commented as he flew beside me and it reminded me of how Ghouls would go through something similar back in the Wasteland.

"Trust me because where I come from, something similar to this happens pretty much all the time and it gets really ugly to the point of physical violence," I stated and Legosi looks at me with surprise.

_"Really? You have carnivores and herbivores where you live and they're also going through the same problem like what's happening now?" _Legosi asked curiously and I pursed my lips at the thought of thinking about that hellhole.

"Not exactly...all I can say is that where I lived was not a very nice place and you wouldn't want to live there," I said bitterly and Legosi seemed to understand that it was a sore subject for me to talk about, so he let it go just as we heard a commotion ahead of us and spotted a raccoon and eagle jeering and laughing at a female wolf.

I paused to get a good look at the situation and saw the girl trying to escape but the raccoon was gripping her arm and preventing her from running while she was begging for him to let go and I scowled at that.

_'Bullies, fucking hate them and it reminds me of how Butch and his friends would beat the shit out of me more than a few times while I was growing up in the Vault,' _I thought in displeasure and approached them before crossing my arms and clearing my throat to get their attention, causing the raccoon and the eagle to glare at me.

"What the fuck do you want, asshole?" the raccoon questioned and I narrowed my eyes at his attitude.

"That's my friend so is there a problem here?" I lied as I pointed at the girl, who had dark brown fur and slightly tilted ears while she stared up at me with a distressed expression and the eagle scoffed.

"Of course a wolf would come to rescue her since you mongrels always come in packs, so how about you fuck off and mind your own damn business before you get your ass kicked," the eagle threatened and I could see that he and the raccoon weren't expecting me to be so large and it unsettled them so I decided to use that to my advantage.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't picking a fight against a six-foot-tall wolf be a bad idea? Sure, you could come at me, but I'm pretty sure it would end up being detrimental to your health so maybe you should think about that for a second while also considering that I know how to defend myself," I pointed out while using my charisma and experience in speech, then the bullies froze at that before the raccoon let go of the girl and he huffed.

"Screw this, we're out of here," the raccoon grumbled as he shouldered past me with his friend following him, then I went to the girl and kneeled down in front of her.

"Are you okay?" I asked in concern and the girl nodded.

"I'm fine," the girl said gratefully and I sat down next to her.

"Hey, um, sorry for lying like that since I had to come up with something to get them to leave you alone," I stated quietly as I avoided eye contact with her.

"But you saved me so thank's for that, and I owe you," the girl told me and I felt awkward since I wasn't eager with anyone owing me anything.

"You don't owe me anything and I couldn't just ignore that, especially when they said that you were a gray wolf. I hate bullying and I hate that it happens because of the recent news...you're a first-year, right? This might not be something you want to hear, but you learn to live with it after a while so..." I started to say, only to trail off when I looked and saw that she started crying and I froze at the sight.

"So, this is something I have to get used to? Seriously? It's even worse than middle school and they're so cruel...they can't do this! I'm just so angry and frustrated at having to suffer like this and I hate it," the girl spat angrily and I was uncomfortable since I was never good at consoling a girl during my time in the Wasteland and I wasn't good at it now, so I decided to say something and hope that I won't be an idiot in the process.

"Well, if that's the way you really feel, then it's a good feeling for you to hang onto since I was sick and tired of dealing with all the hate and just pretended that it didn't bother me anymore. So, feeling that frustration actually makes you stronger, believe it or not, because it gives you the chance to make a difference when no one else can,

Anyway, I need to go so please excuse me," I said as I stood up and started walking away until I could hear the girl standing up quickly and I looked back to see her standing behind me.

"You're Legosi-sempai from the art department, right? I'm Juno and I just joined the drama club this year as a new member," Juno told me and I turned around with my eyes wide in surprise before bowing my head respectfully.

"O-Oh, sorry that I didn't recognize you earlier and I feel so embarrassed," I admitted sheepishly and Juno raised her hands to reassure me.

"That's okay, I'm part of the actor's team so it's understandable that you don't know me. Anyway, the day I joined, Sheila-san mentioned that there's a second-year who's a gray wolf and she told me that you were a very polite male wolf, so I'm happy to see that you really are," Juno said before I grimaced slightly and I scratched the back of my neck as I thought about everything I did in the Wasteland.

"Um, I wouldn't exactly say that," I muttered hesitantly as I started avoiding eye contact with her shyly.

"Since we're both wolves, maybe we don't have to be so formal," Juno offered and I spotted Legosi looking thoughtful.

_"You know, Connor, I do tend to sound very proper when talking to someone and you're not so different from that," _Legosi pointed out and I frowned when I realized that he was right before I turned my attention back to Juno.

"So, will you be at the club today?" I inquired and Juno shook her head.

"No, I think the meeting today is only for second-years so I'll see you later since you should probably hurry before you're late," Juno stated and my eyes widened in panic when I realized that I was about to be late until I started swearing up a storm in my mind.

"Crap, um, I got to go so it was nice meeting you and I'll see you later," I stuttered as I bowed quickly and spun around to run down the hallway to where the exit is and left the building during my rush to the drama club.

* * *

After I had made it to the drama club, I sat down with my fellow stage crew members from the art department and the actor's team and we were listening to an announcement from Sanou.

"Alright, so the second-years from the art department will meet in the city to discuss the festival tomorrow right after school," Sanou instructed and Ellen raised her hand to get his attention.

"Wait, why is it just the carnivores? We want to go on outings too," Ellen complained and Sanou sighed.

"Haven't you seen the news lately? The police are ordering herbivores to stay inside until further notice, so you're going to be working on-site for a while and that's all I'm going to say on the matter," Sanou stated and Ellen, along with a female chipmunk, groaned in disappointment before Louis cleared his throat.

"You all know very well by now how uncontrollable carnivores are when they give in to their bloodlust," Louis chimed in while he was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, then I sent him an irked expression for the constant reminder of what happened a month ago and Bill looked just as irritated as well.

"Dammit, that crap is getting really old," Bill grumbled as he scowled at the floor, then I pursed my lips while I looked away from Louis.

"I have been talking to the nurse and it's because of my second performance that my recovery time has been extended to half a month...oh, one more thing, don't even think about going to the Black Market," Louis warned as he headed to the door and left the room while I was puzzled by what he said.

_'The black market? Huh, I've never heard of something like that before but things are different in this world so who knows what I'll discover out there beyond the school grounds,' _I thought as Sanou also left and we all got up as Ellen looked nervous.

"Really? Is there really a black market in the city? Shit, really?! I hear that they sell herbivore blood and meat!" Ellen exclaimed and Bill sweatdropped while I paused at that.

"Seriously, what century are you living in because the black market is just a red-light district that sells porn magazines to carnivores and that's plenty of reasons for us to be thankful for it. Anyway, I'll get you something to eat, from one striped animal to another," Bill offered as he rested an arm around Ellen's shoulder's and she didn't appear to take kindly to that.

"Ugh, get your damn arm off me!" Ellen retorted and Bill looked back to smile at the rest of us.

"Meeting's over so head to your classes, guys," Bill told us cheerfully while walking away with Ellen, who was protesting at the close contact and I sweatdropped at that while Aoba sighed in exasperation.

"That's Bill for you, always being cheerful," Aoba commented and I made a face at that.

"Yeah, I definitely can't do what he does and be cheerful, so let's head to class," I said as we went to exit the building since we didn't have anything to do here at the moment, then I headed back to the main building with the others so that we could go to our classes.

After a while, the day had passed by until it was dark and I was in the student break room with Aoba while I stared out the window and saw the city in the distance.

"Legosi, you don't usually go out, do you?" Aoba asked and I shrugged.

"Going out was not very fun for me so I was wondering, Aoba. Have you ever been to the black market?" I inquired curiously as I looked back at him and he shook his head.

"No, but it's something we carnivores will go to one day once we're adults," Aoba told me and I resumed staring at the city of Tokyo as I thought about what it would be like going down there to see a major populated area that isn't destroyed by nuclear weapons, then I left the break room and went back to my dorm room as Legosi looked thoughtful until I got into bed before getting some sleep for tomorrow.

* * *

After I had gotten some sleep, I changed out of my uniform and put on a red t-shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers until I met up with Bill, Aoba, Tao, and a reptile before we took the train to the city and I wasn't as surprised by the train since I had used a similar one back in the Wasteland thirteen years ago to leave dc and head to the Mohave desert, then we all arrived at the subway station and got off until we walked to a machine that looked similar to the toll booths in the dc subways.

The others used some kind of cards to open the toll and they walked through, then it shut on me and I couldn't help but study it with a look of fascination since I had never seen a working one before and it excited the engineer in me until the others started staring at me strangely.

"Legosi, what the hell are you doing?! Quit staring off into space and pay the toll already because you're holding up all the lines!" Bill shouted and that snapped me out of it when I looked back to see a few animals right behind me with looks of irritation and I blushed in embarrassment.

"S-Sorry about that," I stuttered sheepishly and went to look for a card similar to the ones the others had, but I couldn't find it as I patted myself down and started sweating nervously until Legosi flew up next to me.

_"Connor, my card's in the right pocket on my backpack," _Legosi notified me helpfully and I searched through the pocket until I found the card and sent him a subtle thankful expression as I swiped it onto the machine and the toll opened until I met up with the others, who were staring at me weirdly and I grimaced.

"Finally...did you forget that you had your card on you? Shit, you can be so absentminded sometimes, and do you ever leave school?" Bill remarked while I felt so embarrassed by what just happened, then we walked through the station and I shook my head at his question.

"No, I buy everything I need online," I answered and the others looked at me in confusion.

"Seriously, that's what old people do," Aoba commented dryly.

"Unbelievable, you don't even go out on the weekends? No offense, Legosi, but you really need to get a life," Tao stated in disbelief and I shrugged as I put my hands in my pockets and followed the others since this is the very first time I'm seeing the outside world and I have no idea where we're going.

Pretty soon, we walked up a bunch of stairs and exited the station before finding ourselves in the city, then we all just stopped and my jaw dropped open slightly as I saw everything and took it all in, looking around at all the clean and undamaged buildings, actual running cars, and many animals just walking or flying around like they didn't have a care in the world while I marveled it all and was rendered breathless.

_'My God, it's all so...beautiful,' _I thought and felt like tearing up since, back in the Wasteland, I had always tried to imagine what the world was like before it was destroyed by the war and seeing all of this proved that I was living in a whole new world that is untouched by the horrors of the Wasteland and I felt really emotional because of it, along with the knowledge that I was no longer in any life-threatening danger.

_"Connor, now that I think about it, it's been a year since I last saw the outside world and the city looks different than I last saw it," _Legosi told me but I wasn't listening as I was just looking around and Aoba sighed.

"Damn, would you look at that? All the birds are flying...I'm so jealous," Aoba muttered enviously and Tao perked up.

"That's right, you can only get a flying license after you graduate," Tao said as we started walking through the streets and I just saw everyone around us not even looking wary of getting attacked or killed.

_'Wow, everyone looks so peaceful and there doesn't appear to be any problems between them...mom and dad would've been so amazed if they were here to witness this,' _I thought as Aoba looked at me with a smirk.

"Yeah, going out isn't fun at all, huh?" Aoba remarked playfully and I turned my attention to him with a puzzled expression.

"What the hell are you going on about?" I asked in confusion and Aoba pointed at my tail, then I looked at it and saw that it was wagging before I started feeling flustered at that.

"Your tail is wagging and you look like a kid in a candy store," Aoba pointed out before the alligator student placed his hand on his stomach as it growled.

"Hey, can we get something to eat? I'm hungry," the alligator informed us and Bill nodded with a grin.

"Sure, the best part about this is that we get to eat something other than cafeteria food!" Bill exclaimed happily as we kept walking.

_'Ugh, maybe I should buy pants that can hide my tail because it's so embarrassing for my emotions to be put on display due to my canine body,' _I thought irritably as I glared at my tail for betraying me and just decided to let it go since there wasn't much I could do about it.

After that, we headed to a fast-food restaurant and ordered our meals until we were sitting at the table and I was trying to ignore Bill as he talked about his sex life of all things, and in public no less until I placed down notices about the meteor festival.

"Hmm, it's the same details as last year," I pointed out, thankful that Legosi explained a lot of things to me about this world so that I wasn't walking in blindly and making myself look crazy.

"Eh, I don't mind since we got to go out," Aoba admitted and Tao looked at Bill in anticipation.

"So, finish the story," Tao encouraged eagerly and I struggled to tune Bill out when he resumed his story, then I took a sip from my drink and held an annoyed expression as I refrained from snapping at him until I looked to my right to see two herbivores smiling and Bill nudged me to get my attention.

"So, Legosi, when are you going to lose your virginity?" Bill asked rather bluntly as he rested an arm on my shoulder suddenly while I was taking a sip from my drink, then my eyes bulged and I felt my face getting hot as I refrained from doing a spit-take and twitched with a tick mark.

_'H-How the fuck does he know?! You just don't ask somebody that, and in public no less!'_ I thought incredulously as I sent him a nasty glare for asking me something so personal and embarrassing.

"Don't give me that look because I can smell that virgin scent on you for miles away, dude," Bill told me and I looked away from him with a scowl since being around certain animals with no sense of privacy was starting to peeve me a little bit.

"Legosi, do you know about that cute new gray wolf in drama club?" Tao asked me and I turned my attention to him.

"You mean Juno-san?" I wondered and Aoba perked up.

"Hey, he knows her name," Aoba stated with a look of interest, and Bill started grinning.

"Oh, that sounds promising!" Bill cheered and I tuned out anything else he said while I was uncomfortable and also felt disbelief at how happy he was for me.

_'Seriously, we tried to kill each other last month and now he's treating me like I'm his best friend? This world is completely bizarre since we would both be dead or holding grudges against each other if we were in the Wasteland...maybe things will become easier than they are now once I become an adult again, though I would rather have Legosi get his body back and not take over his life,' _I thought with a pensive look as we finished our meals and left the restaurant.

"Damn, that was a long talk since it's already six o'clock," Tao commented and I looked at him.

"Hey, let's go back because we don't want to piss off the dorm mother too much," I pointed out and the others nodded in agreement until Bill turned his attention to Aoba, who was looking through his phone.

"By the way, I know that us walking here is going to guarantee a long wait, but how long is it going to take until we reach the station?" Bill asked and Aoba looked up at him.

"We're lost," Aoba notified us and Bill didn't look happy to hear that.

"Are you shitting me?" Bill questioned in disbelief.

"Don't worry, it's cool because Zoozle maps say that we're right here," Aoba reassured, but Bill didn't look impressed as he looked at what he was talking about.

"You know that you shouldn't use that app since it tends to be shitty with directions," Bill grumbled and I sighed before clearing my throat.

"Look, it's probably not that far so why don't we go ask around?" I suggested and everyone agreed as we started asking for directions to the station.

* * *

After a while, we had gotten directions and followed them until the sun went down but I had noticed that we were nowhere near the station and I wished that my pipboy was with me since it was good with marking locations whenever I needed to go or return to places as we were walking up a bunch of stairs.

"Hey, doesn't it seem like we're getting further from the station?" Bill inquired and Aoba frowned in distaste.

"Well, shit, we're just going where everyone is telling us to go," Aoba said in uncertainty.

"You're a bird so use your, I don't know, magnetic sense or something," Bill snapped irritably and Aoba sent him a dry look.

"Yeah, I'm not a migratory bird, smartass," Aoba retorted unamusingly and I started pinching the area between my eyes to prevent a headache from happening.

"Listen, I don't think we're too far so let's not get into an argument," I reasoned tiredly since I wasn't in the mood to hear Bill and Aoba squabble, just as we stopped next to the back of a box truck and looked around until I noticed an elderly homeless goat sitting nearby and walked over to him before kneeling down in front of him.

"Sorry to bother you, but do you think you could help me with something for a second?" I asked carefully and the goat nodded weakly.

"Sure, go ahead and pick any finger you like," the goat answered as he raised his hands, then I was frozen in pure horror at the sight of a few of his fingers missing while the rest had wooden signs with prices on them as my eyes were bulging and I gasped at the horrific sight.

"Go on, these are just the scraps but they still taste the same," the goat encouraged and I started trembling at him basically telling me to mutilate him while he didn't seem to care what he was saying.

_'Christ, just what the fuck am I looking at or hearing?! Oh god, the scents coming off of those hands...I think I'm going to be fucking sick!' _I thought as I could see Legosi also looking horrified, then the goat reached up and started feeling my face and mouth as I tried not to throw up from the overpowering scents that were overwhelming me.

"Hmm, your canine teeth are three centimeters long if you're young and healthy, and they will sell at a higher price so finish it in one bite, alright?" the goat told me as the truck drove away, just before I started hyperventilating while I was having visions of seeing my former human hands covered in blood while I was standing on a pile of corpses and smacked his hands away in a complete panic as I stood up and backed away a few feet.

"Get off of me and what the hell is wrong with you?! You're out of your fucking mind so don't ever touch me again, you sick bastard!" I shouted in disgust before I was shoved out of the way and yelped as I could see Bill walking up to the goat.

"Hey, sir, it's 70'000 yen for that finger, right?! If I pay for it, that means it's mine to eat?!" Bill questioned excitingly and my jaw dropped open in pure horror as he turned around to look at us.

"What do you guys say? Let's all have a bite so that way, we can all split the cost-" Bill offered and I promptly cut him off by slapping him across the face with a look of complete revulsion as Bill's head snapped to the side and he gripped his cheek before shooting me a pained glare.

"D-Did you just fucking slap me?! What the hell is your problem, asshole?!" Bill shouted in disbelief.

"I should be asking you that because are you even hearing yourself?! You're talking about mutilating someone and committing cannibalism, now we're not going to touch him because we're not savages!" I snarled viciously and Bill chuckled in amusement.

"Legosi, we're already here at the black market and I don't have to plan on going along with your ego, though we haven't finished our fight so I'm going to give you a few more scars on your back," Bill threatened and I started growling with my fur bristling.

"Go ahead, I'm going to snap your arm in two places and shatter your fucking ribs," I stated menacingly as I bared my teeth and claws, just before Aoba got in between us as he looked at me.

"Whoa, Legosi, calm down...I'm sorry, I would agree with you about this if we were back at school, but it's different here because look around you, this is the black market and we're carnivores," Aoba reasoned and I couldn't believe what I was hearing since I thought he was an okay guy.

"Aoba, I thought you were a decent person and you guys are really going to..." I trailed off in disgust, causing Aoba to flinch as Bill smiled.

"Of course we are and didn't you see the main street? The whole reason why everyone was having fun peacefully is because of the black market, so you need to grow up and accept reality because life isn't a fairy tale where everyone sits around a campfire holding hands and singing kumbaya," Bill lectured and something in me just snapped after hearing that before I charged at him and snatched his neck.

I pushed him back and squeezed his jugular vein with both my hands as the others let out noises of shock while I pinned Bill against the wall and he grabbed my arms to pry me off, but he froze when he saw the dark unstable look in my eyes and he trembled at how frightening I looked while I loosened my grip on him now that I had his complete attention.

"Grow up? Heh, let me tell you something about that...maybe you would've been right if I was younger, but I was forced to grow up too fast after I had seen just how ugly and cruel the world can be so don't you ever fucking go there because you don't know shit about me and if I hear something like that come out of your mouth again, I will kill you," I said with my voice low and sounding slightly unhinged before I let him go and walked away from the others until I paused at the entrance to the black market.

"This world is no different than that hell, it just puts on a mask to hides itself better," I muttered before I took off running into the black market while the others called out to me, but I ignored them since I wanted to be alone right now as I remembered a conversation between Haru and me the night we were heading back to our dorms.

* * *

_"Now that we've gotten to know each other, Legosi, I have a question if you don't really mind," Haru said as we were walking back to the dorms and I looked at her._

_"What is it?" I asked curiously as we stopped walking and I leaned down in front of her._

_"I'm curious, how exactly do you see me?" Haru inquired and I stared at her with a puzzled expression._

_"How...do I see you? That's a pretty odd question to ask me," I pointed out and Haru chuckled sheepishly._

_"Yeah, that was kinda awkward so give me your hand," Haru told me and I reached out until she took my hand._

_"You know, I realized something just now, you and I could probably be good friends with each other," Haru added and my eyes became soft as I felt solemn at the fact that this girl had no idea who and what I really am, and she would never want to be friends with me if she were to ever find out about the terrible things I've done._

* * *

"Hey, sir, you can get refrigerated weasel legs for 2'500 yen per leg!" a crocodile announced suddenly and I snapped out of it to find myself standing in the middle of the black market and a combination of horror and revulsion hit me at the sight of body parts in stores everywhere and I looked at the crocodile, only to recoil when I saw the legs just hanging on meat hooks.

"S-Sorry, not interested," I stuttered as I resumed running through the market with the scent of meat covering the air around me but instead of making me hungry, I felt seriously queasy and overwhelmed as I managed to escape that district of hell and rest my hands on a wall in an alley while I hyperventilated and recalled what Haru told me.

_'Haru, I'm just too nervous to tell you this, but you're an attractive girl and I'm always thinking about you...but why? Why can't I ever escape my suffering?! Escaping one hell and entering another, is that my fate? Am I destined to be tormented for all eternity even after death?_

_So much darkness, anger, and rage in me while I can't ever find peace in my personal hell...this world I'm in is nothing more than another Wasteland, only it puts up a front to hide all the horrors and I can't ever win at anything anymore,'_ I thought while I slid down and curled up into a ball on the ground as I just gave up fighting and wanted to die again.

_"Connor..." _Legosi trailed off with a worried expression just before a pair of feet came into view and something started poking me while my vision was getting dark.

"Hey, aren't you a sad looking sight, you poor wolf. I'm glad that you collapsed in the alley since no one can see us here," the guy stated in a male gravely voice as I picked up the scent of cigarette smoke coming from him and passed out from the shock.

After an untold amount of time had passed by, I started regaining consciousness and opened my eyes while I heard something being worked on before my blurry vision cleared up as Legosi was frantically shouting at me to wake up and I saw a large male figure doing something across from me as I noticed that I was in a room with a hospital bed and monitors above it.

I narrowed my eyes when I discovered that something was on my face and my wrists before I looked down and saw that my hands were chained up in shackles while I carefully reached up to feel my face to discover that an animal muzzle was strapped to it, then I had horrible flashbacks of my time as a slave in the Pitt and studied the figure to see that he was a large muscular panda wearing a tan short-sleeved shirt, dark blue jeans, and brown combat boots as I started thinking about what I had learned so far.

_'Okay, I've been kidnapped and now I'm being held in a room somewhere by this stranger so let's see if I can get a better understanding of who he is and what his motives are before I make a decision on how to escape,'_ I thought calmly as I stared at the panda, who turned around and I could see one scar on his left cheek and three more that went across his right eye as he had a smoke in his mouth.

"Hey, you're awake so how are you feeling? Pretty shitty I'm guessing and sorry about the muzzle on your snout and the shackles on your wrists, but they were to restrict your movements so that you wouldn't jump me while my back was turned.

Anyway, judging by the scars on your back, you must be a rather violent wolf so hold still because I need to check your heart rate," the panda told me as he walked over before grabbing my shirt collar to pull me up slightly so that he could get a better look at me with a thoughtful frown, then he started using a stethoscope to check my heartbeat as I stared up at him stoically and he let out a hum before letting me go and removing the stethoscope.

"Interesting, you must be tough as nails because your heartbeat is slow and completely stable like you don't care that you're chained up right now. Listen, I'm going to remove the muzzle so you better behave," the panda warned as he reached down and removed the muzzle, then I started rubbing my jaw and sent him a calculating look as I remained silent.

"Huh, you're not even going to bark? Most of my patients needed a bit of roughhousing to get them to understand the rules, but it's like you've been through this kind of thing before and your eyes...they hold the look of a hardened survivor so maybe you've chosen not to speak anymore.

Maybe, you ripped out your own tongue in guilt or you have serious trust issues around strangers," the panda pondered and I felt a slight bit of irritation at him trying to dig into my past before clearing my throat.

"I can speak, just don't have a reason to right now," I stated gruffly as I watched the panda suspiciously and he chuckled in amusement as he walked over to a chair that was next to a mounted camera and sat down across from me.

"Too bad, because I have a few questions for you but let me explain who I am first. Basically, I'm the watchman of the black market and keep an eye on the place since any carnivore that experiences a panic attack and pass out in the black market are almost 100% likely to be preying on herbivores, and I can't let a potential criminal out in the streets.

Listen, if you want to go back to where you came from, then quit acting like a tough guy and do as I say. Now, what's your name?" the panda asked as he took my picture and I jerked my head away and slammed my eyes shut with a grimace from the flash before deciding that I was going to play along for now.

"Legosi," I answered shortly while staring at the panda, who arched a brow when he could see that I wasn't afraid of him at all.

"Legosi, when did you last eat an herbivore?" the panda questioned and I looked away with narrowed eyes.

"I didn't...well, I almost did, but I managed to stop myself in time," I responded as I flinched at the camera going off again.

"I doubt it because you passed out after having a panic attack and that's a clear sign you did eat one recently, though if you managed to stop yourself...then you more or less put your mask back on," the panda pointed out and I glared at him.

"Listen, whether you believe it or not, I managed to control myself and I'm planning to tell her soon-" I said and was promptly cut off.

"Wait, you almost killed her and you're still in contact with this girl?! Shit, I can't imagine how you feel while you still see her, and do you fantasize about how she tastes while you talk to her?! Do you plan for the best time to tear her apart?!" the panda exclaimed in disbelief and I started glaring at him coldly.

"No on the last two and you're a fucking asshole. You know what, since we're playing 21 questions, now it's my turn so who are you? Where do you live? What do you really do here? Do you have a family or any friends?

Yeah, not so fun now when someone is digging into your private life, am I right?" I retorted sternly and the panda shrugged.

"Fair enough, but the way you reacted defensively tells me that your past is a very sore subject to talk about and I might be an asshole, but carnivores are the same in nature so that shouldn't be news to you and that's why the black market exists.

I have something I want to show you so don't try anything," the panda warned as he stood up and picked up the photos before walking over to me, then he unlatched the chain on the back of the collar that was on my neck and gestured for me to follow him.

I stood up and followed the panda as I noticed that my shackles were connected to the collar with a chain so it was going to be difficult fighting against him, not to mention that I had no idea what the layout of this place was so I had no choice but to do what he says for now since I had no idea where the exit was as we walked through a hallway and I memorized every door and every hallway as we approached a door.

"The meat in the black market is secretly provided by hospitals and funeral homes sometimes, not exactly legal but at least they're not killing anyone for the meat and this is what happens to those who kill for meat so pay attention," the panda explained as he opened the door and guided me inside while I was seriously disgusted by what I just heard, then my eyes widened in horror as I saw that the room was filled with photos of carnivores in various stages of mutilation, insanity, or had patches of their fur missing.

"My God, what the fuck is this? What the fuck did you do to them?" I gasped in shock as the panda went over to the window across from us and turned around to look at me grimly.

"I didn't do anything to them because they did all that to themselves after giving in to their feral instincts and killing the herbivores, where some can't forget the flavor of meat and either mutilate themselves, lose fur from stress, or go insane and become nothing more than uncontrollable rabid beasts that kill indiscriminately or commit suicide while chances of rehabilitation becomes slim.

Also, there are cases where a carnivore loved an herbivore so much that they wound up killing the ones they loved once their instincts overpower them unexpectedly.

Listen, you're still young but the world is filled with problems that you can't afford to ignore, especially if you're slowly becoming one of them so what do you think?" the panda questioned as I was just examining the photos and saw certain ones that reminded me of a few horrors back in the Wasteland.

"Okay, let's say I believe you, so who are you really?" I inquired with a distrustful glance and the panda turned around to look out the window while puffing on his smoke.

"Me? You probably won't believe me since you have already proven that you have trust issues, but I stick the photos of my patients on the wall to remind myself that I need to continue my work so I shouldn't ever have to add more of them to the wall in this room.

To explain who I am, I practice in psychosomatic medicine just outside the back market but simply put, I'm one of those respectable doctors that is here to make sure cases like this never happen again and whether I'm your enemy or ally is up to you to decide," the panda told me and I frowned thoughtfully since I had advanced knowledge in medicine thanks to my dad, who was a very good medical doctor, and the medical books I read over the years.

* * *

After that, the panda unlocked the collar and shackles before taking them off of me and I was led to a living room, where I found myself staring at a cup of tea that was on a table while sitting on a sofa and the panda gestured at it as he was across from me.

"Go on, it's not poisonous or anything so let me put your mind at ease," the panda reassured as he picked up the small cup and took a sip from it before placing back down in front of me, then I looked at him until I warily picked up the cup and took a sip from it before I made a face at the odd taste of the tea and the panda chuckled.

"Good, isn't it? It's my special blend made from bamboo grass so it does have an acquired taste to it. Anyway, you're a student from Cherryton Academy? I couldn't tell from your current clothes and that aside, you want a smoke?" the panda offered as he held out his pack of cigs for me to take one and I sent him a strange look.

"You do realize that I'm too young to smoke, right?" I pointed out in confusion and the panda put the pack away.

"Guess I'll take that as a no and what's with the constant sour look? You're acting like someone just died recently and you're being a pain in the ass right now because all I did was give you a reality check, not traumatize you by showing a photo of a one-armed puma.

"Hey, I'm only doing all of this to make sure that you have a chance of not turning out that way, so you should be grateful. If I had left you sinking into that kind of darkness, it wouldn't make me a very good doctor now, would it?" the panda pointed out and I scowled at him since I wasn't in the mood to receive a lecture.

"Well, forgive me if I don't exactly trust you right now since you basically kidnapped me and chained me up like a slave so you haven't made a good first impression and I have a question for you this time.

When you're practicing, what kind of therapist do you consider yourself to be? Do you consider yourself a panda with a strong body or a panda who never eats meat?" I questioned and the panda looked pleasantly surprised.

"Hey, that's a pretty intelligent question for someone your age and it's true that we eat nothing but bamboo, but that kind of question isn't exactly meaningful to me since I've already tamed my instincts a long time ago.

You see, I realized that this town needed a doctor to help the carnivores that couldn't help themselves, so I focused all my energy into that for over ten years...I've been nearly killed several times and could only save a handful of them so, in order to break this vicious cycle, I continued to eat only bamboo grass and trained to become stronger and more durable so I'm just a doctor who's just a little bit strong, nothing more than that," the panda explained and his body language, along with the micro-expressions in his face, told me that he was telling the truth.

"So, since you're a therapist for at-risk carnivores, what's your preferred treatment for them?" I asked and the panda looked puzzled.

"Treatment? What exactly do you think we're doing right now? That's right, the good old carrot and stick routine to help ease you into things," the panda confirmed and I was really peeved that he thought he could fix me when I'm long past fixing.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not one of your patients," I said stoically and the panda chuckled.

"Yeah, that's what they all say when it's the complete opposite for them," the panda stated as he put out his smoke in the ashtray and I started clenching my hands into fists as I shot him a dark glare.

"Well, at least I'm doing something about it so drop it," I warned irritably and a tick mark appeared on the panda while he twitched.

"That's because you developed a personal interest in a rabbit and it's extremely dangerous!" the panda scolded and I banged my fists against the table as I started trembling and struggled to keep my temper under control.

"Okay, let me make this clear for you so that you understand perfectly...I'm not your patient and I'm sure as hell not your friend so I don't need some fucking shrink getting into my head and thinking that he knows what best for me when he doesn't know shit.

Do you think that you can fix me and make everything okay? Buddy, I'm long past fixing and you know nothing about me...thank you for the tea so I'm leaving," I stated coldly as I stood up and was about to leave when the panda kicked the table out of the way and stormed over before grabbing me by the collar and glared at me.

"You shut the fuck up and listen here, you little shit! Talking like you know everything when you don't know jackshit, so let me teach you what I do know! I'm sure that deep down, you genuinely want to be with this girl but that's all in your mind and you're just hiding your instinctual urge to eat her.

Listen, you think that you're in love with her but it's just your convoluted hunting instincts, which is the worst possible case a carnivore could ever have so if you can stop it, then do it by severing all ties with her before it's too late," the panda told me sympathetically as he let me go, but I wasn't phased by his anger and large build as I got my backpack and put it on.

"Damn it, I can't deal with kids these days and they say that love makes you crazy, but for kids, it's just nuts," the panda grumbled irritably as he rubbed the back of his head and I sent him an empty look.

"I don't really know myself since I've never been in a relationship before, so I can't exactly say for sure," I admitted hollowly and the panda widened his eyes in shock.

"Wait, you've never been with another girl before?!" the panda cried out in disbelief and I nodded.

"Yeah, now I'm going to go so I'll hopefully never see you again," I said bitterly and was about to leave when he tapped on my shoulder and I looked back at him before pausing at the sight of him holding out a magazine of a half-naked female rabbit on the cover while she was in a seductive pose.

"Wait, try this and see for yourself if your feelings are true or not," the panda offered and I looked up at him with one of my eyes twitching.

"Um, what?" I spoke dumbly and stared at him like he had completely lost his mind.

"I'm serious, this does help so if you get aroused from looking at this, then you're just a healthy teenager with a unique attraction to small animals but if you don't respond to it at all and you're still fixated on that one rabbit...then you got a serious problem so take it and you don't need to return it so just humor me," the panda encouraged before I hesitantly took the magazine, questioning my sanity for even doing it in the first place.

"I suppose I will and one more thing...if you ever lay your hands on me again, you'll find yourself missing a few fingers," I threatened as I put the magazine in my backpack and left the room.

* * *

_'See for yourself, you don't need to return it...just what the fuck kind of doctor is he?! This is so goddamn stupid and I'm throwing this magazine away as soon as I find a trash can because I'm sick and tired of all this bullshit!_

_Why does the universe have to keep tormenting me like this and haven't I suffered enough in my previous life?! I just want peace so is that really hard to ask for?!' _I thought in outrage while storming away from the large building and Legosi looked nervous at seeing how pissed I was.

_"Um, Connor, are you okay?" _Legosi asked tentatively and flinched when I shot him a nasty glare.

"Legosi, just drop it because I'm not in the mood to discuss my feelings with you right now," I snapped hotly while my tail bristled, causing Legosi to flatten his ears and tuck his tail between his legs until I felt guilty at lashing out at him and sighed.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that...I thought I had escaped from all of this in my previous life and seeing the black market is bringing back very bad memories so please don't ask me because I really don't want to talk about it," I pleaded and Legosi nodded after he quit looking like a kicked puppy before I managed to find my way back to the main street, then I arrived at the entrance to the station and was surprised to see Aoba waiting for me.

"Hey, Legosi," Aoba greeted quietly as I stopped in front of him.

"Aoba, what the hell are you doing here?" I questioned in confusion and Aoba sighed while looking regretful.

"I had to get out of there after I couldn't bring myself to eat that old man's finger and when I thought about Louis-sempai, along with our other herbivore friends, I just felt so sick to my stomach from what I was about to do," Aoba confessed as he looked away and closed his eyes while I didn't know what to say to him.

_'Aoba, even after what you said to me earlier, you just couldn't bring yourself to do it and the guilt is hitting you hard so that says a lot to me and I'm sorry for what I said about you not being a decent person...your beak, it looks so sharp and beautiful just like this world,' _I thought as I remembered everything I've done in my past life and how much blood I had on my hands with my soul tainted in darkness, then I felt so tired of it all and started tearing up as a few ran down my cheeks and I wiped them away with the back of my hand before Aoba looked back at me.

"Hey, listen, I just want to say that I'm sorry about earlier so let's go back...wait, are you crying? Legosi, what's wrong?" Aoba asked in concern and I held up a hand to reassure him as I sniffled.

"It's nothing, just got something in my eyes," I evaded with my voice shaky and we headed down the steps as Legosi was watching me.

_'Aoba, I want to stand on my own two feet in this broken world with you...I just want to stand tall and find forgiveness in my own personal hell,' _I thought as we headed to the train that would take us back to school, wondering if I could ever find peace and forgiveness in myself for everything I had seen and done in my previous life.

* * *

A/N Well, that's another chapter done and I think that's how Connor would've reacted since the black market reminds him all too well of the Wasteland and him snapping at Gohin is the same as a veteran lashing out since he doesn't want to discuss his past with a stranger and him crying shows that he so worn down and damaged that it'll take a long time for him to ever recover from his hellish experiences in the Wasteland.

Anyway, the Connor you're looking at is a fully 100% upgraded version of the modded Tale of Two Wastelands character where he has all the perks, his SPECIAL is fully upgraded, and he has visited every single place while doing all of the quests in the Capital Wasteland and the Mohave Wasteland, DLC or otherwise, so he has seen some pretty fucked up things while having similar fucked up things being done to him and it's a wonder how he still has some form of sanity left since any other person would've just completely lost it a long time ago.

So, let me know what you think about the current events in this chapter and stay tuned.


	8. Chapter 7

I was in Seaspeak class and writing down answers on my test as the teacher talked about how sea life communicates and how those on land are able to speak to them by learning their language, which was a very fascinating subject and something that would've helped me a lot back in the Wasteland so that Mirelurks and other mutated sea monsters would've stopped trying to kill me whenever I got too close to their territory.

At that moment, my stomach growled and I frowned slightly since I was getting hungry and Legosi flew over to me with an uncomfortable look.

_"Connor, that hen is looking at you again," _Legosi informed me and I felt like groaning as I saw the female hen on my left out of the corner of my eye, who was eyeing me subtly and I started feeling annoyed by all the staring.

Every single day, whenever I'm in Seaspeak class, that girl would always look at me for some unknown reason and it was odd at first three months ago just after I wound up in Legosi's body, but now it had gotten pretty irritating and I felt like telling her off for being rude but I was too socially awkward to say anything and tried to ignore her, then the school bell rang suddenly and I felt relief that class was over since I was hungry.

I reached down and looked through my backpack until I took out a box of egg salad sandwichs and placed it on the table before opening it, then I took out one of the sandwiches and took a bite out of it as everyone was grabbing their things and leaving class while I closed my eyes and hummed joyfully at how delicious the sandwich was and wished that I had my body again to actually savor it with my own tastebuds instead of someone else's, just as I smelled Jack approaching and I looked at him.

"You sure love those egg salad sandwiches," Jack commented as he sat down on my right and I nodded as I looked at the sandwich.

"Yeah, they're always the best on Wednesdays," I stated and Jack looked surprised.

"What? No way and come on, they're all the same," Jack said skeptically.

"No, seriously, the texture and taste are different...I can't describe it, but they're better on Wednesdays," I reasoned and Jack chuckled.

"Come on," Jack said humorously and I sighed.

"Anyway, we're just lucky we can get it at the school kiosk or I would have to go into the city to get them and that would be a pain," I grumbled and Jack smirked.

"Legosi, you really need to get out more," Jack remarked and I shot him an unamused look.

"Well, sorry if I don't like being around other people I don't know," I stated dryly and resumed eating my sandwiches until I was done and I noticed the hen looking proud for some reason, but I shrugged it off and went to my next class with Jack.

After that, a few days had passed by until it was Wednesday again and I had gotten another egg salad sandwich again, but it strangely didn't taste as good as before and I was confused why it was different and had gotten a soy burger before class until I took out the packaged food after class was over and ripped open the plastic before taking a bite out of the burger and I noticed that the hen was stunned for some reason and ignored it while Jack met up with me again.

"Hey, what's up, lego face? It's Wednesday and you're not eating your egg salad sandwich?" Jack questioned and I frowned thoughtfully.

"Yeah, it's weird, but they've been tasting differently these days and they're not as good as before," I told him and Jack started laughing.

"Seriously, did you ever think that maybe they aren't as special to begin with?" Jack inquired cheerfully and I hummed as I looked away from him.

"Well, I don't know about that-" I said and was cut off from saying anything else when I heard a loud crash on my left and quickly looked to see that the hen had fallen off her seat and instantly went to check on her.

"Holy crap, are you okay?! Jack, go get the nurse!" I exclaimed in alarm and Jack bolted out of the classroom while the other students hurried over to see what was going on and I gestured for them to stay back so that I could have some breathing room and saw that the hen was unconscious while I waited for Jack to come back with the nurse.

* * *

After that scare, Jack came back with the nurse and the hen was taken to the infirmary before she came back not long after and I was relieved before a couple of days had passed by and now I was in class again in the morning while noticing that I didn't have an eraser and scowled at the minor annoyance until I subtly looked at the hen.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you but do you have an eraser I can borrow?" I whispered and the hen looked back at me.

"I'm sorry, but I only have one right now and I need it," the hen stated and I sighed quietly as I went back to my work.

"Well, thanks anyway and I'm really glad you're okay since you fainting like that scared the ever-loving hell out of me and everyone else," I mumbled to her and class continued after that until the bell rang and I took out my egg salad sandwiches before eating them and the hen looked surprised for a few seconds as I packed up my textbooks and left the classroom with Jack.

Pretty soon, I was heading to the roof so that I could talk to Haru and I went up the stairs until I entered the roof and went over to the shed near the garden before I saw that the curtains were drawn and went to knock on the door, then the curtains opened and I was taken off guard to see Louis about to leave before he saw me and he paused while we stared at each other.

"Wait, Louis-sempai?" I questioned in bewilderment and I could've sworn Louis gulped before he opened the sliding door and nodded in acknowledgment.

"Hey," Louis greeted as he walked out and stood in my way after shutting the door and leaned against the shed with one arm while resting his other one on his hip as he stared at me.

"I didn't know you personally came to the gardening club so what the hell are you doing here?" I asked in confusion.

"I should be asking you the same thing," Louis told me and I was more than puzzled by what he was doing here and why he was blocking the way inside the shed, like he was hiding something and I started feeling suspicious.

"Well, I got some business with the girl in the gardening club-" I started to explain and was cut off rudely.

"Haru isn't here and is currently in her dorm," Louis interrupted and that caught my attention.

"Haru? Wait, you already know her name?" I questioned with furrowed eyes as my suspicions started getting larger, then I noticed Louis avoiding eye-contact for a short time and it cemented that something is going on that I wasn't able to figure out.

"The gardening club's participating in the festival as well and it's my duty as a third-year to make sure everything's all set, so we're well acquainted with each other," Louis explained and the way he said it after hesitating told me that he was lying and I didn't know why, but I decided to keep it to myself for now until I could figure it out later.

"Oh, I didn't know so sorry about that and I could've done that for you if you wanted me to," I offered and Louis arched a brow.

"Really, you're acquainted with Haru too?" Louis asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, though we just met a few weeks ago and are starting to get to know each other," I said stoically as I put my hands in my pockets and Louis frowned.

"You know, you're just incredible since you keep hanging around herbivores, and was this something club-related? I could let her know for you," Louis offered and I pondered on what to say before I looked at him.

"No, it's fine because it was personal business and I just wanted to see her...anyway, I'll see her later so are you also heading back?" I asked and noticed that what I said seemed to take him by surprise before he appeared to shake it off.

"Yeah, sure," Louis said and there appeared to be a slight stutter in his voice before I decided to let it go and not question him about it.

"Alright, then let's walk together," I stated and we walked back to the stairwell and started to go down the stairs before Legosi stared at Louis with a thoughtful frown.

_"Connor, did you see his reaction just now?"_ Legosi inquired and I nodded subtly since it seemed like Louis was hiding something, then I picked up an oddly familiar scent coming off of Louis and I narrowed my eyes in confusion.

_'What the fuck...the hell is that smell coming off of him? It's almost...musky and there's another person in there with it,' _I thought as I made a face and started sniffing to try and identify why it was so familiar until I got a little too close to Louis and he noticed before shoving my head back with a disgusted scowl.

"What the hell is with that disgusting sniffing and keep that nose of yours to yourself!" Louis shouted irritably and I rubbed my jaw as I sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry for being rude like that and it's none of my business what you're doing with whoever you're with, but wear a scent blocker next time because there is something musky and another person's scent coming off of you and any other canine is going to pick it up as I did," I advised and Louis seemed to tense up before he glared at me.

"Just don't do that again because it's disgusting," Louis warned and I held up my hands in surrender before deciding to ask him something that was currently on my mind.

"So, are you and Haru-san good friends?" I questioned and Louis looked at me.

"What did she tell you?" Louis wondered and I shrugged.

"Well, she didn't tell me anything and this is the first time I'm hearing about you and her knowing each other well," I answered as we started arriving at the bottom of the steps.

"If she never told you, then we're just friends so quit being nosy and trying to pry into my business. Anyway, are you interested in someone right now?" Louis asked as he stopped and looked back at me, causing me to stop as well.

_'Look who's being nosy now, buddy,' _I thought dryly and cleared my throat.

"No, and I don't have much experience with that," I admitted and Louis frowned.

"In that case, go support Juno and show some affection to your own species since the poor girl needs it. You can't deny that she's attractive and she seems to be nice so try talking to her," Louis told me before he walked away and I made a face at that before continuing my way to the drama club's practice room.

* * *

After that, I was wearing a red tracksuit with white sneakers and currently fixing the spotlights that were on the ground and thinking about what happened earlier and why Louis was hiding something until I was done with the lights, then I looked at my reflection in the mirror and paused at a slight difference I noticed before reaching up to use my hand to measure my size.

"Seriously, did I get taller again? Legosi, is it normal for your species to keep growing like this?" I questioned and Legosi appeared pensive as he shook his head.

_"No, it's not and let's just say that my family's...unique,"_ Legosi stated hesitantly and I was curious by what he meant by that, only it looked like he wasn't eager to talk about his family history so I let it go and laid down on the practice mat with an exasperated groan.

_'Shit, I really hope these damn growth spurts will stop soon or I'm going to look like a giant to everyone...ugh, the joys of puberty and going through it once in my previous life was bad enough but having to go through it again is such a pain,' _I thought irritably as I recalled what that panda told me and I scowled as I raised my hands and noticed that my claws were long before another pair of hands with dark brown fur showed up to my right.

"Is this some kind of ritual for good luck?" a familiar voice asked before I looked to see that it was Juno, causing me to yelp with a startled expression as I sat up quickly and frantically scooted away from her a few feet before I placed a hand on my chest to calm my heart rate.

"Juno-san, please don't do that because you startled me and when did you get here?" I gasped as I patted my chest and Juno looked embarrassed.

"Just now and sorry for scaring you, though you're here early, Legosi-sempai," Juno pointed out and I sent her a flat expression.

"Well, I'm usually never busy so how are things going with you on the actor's team? Are you having fun?" I questioned curiously and Juno looked thoughtful as she stood up.

"Well, it's actually been kind of difficult lately and I don't know if it's because I'm a wolf or some other reason, but the others seem to be avoiding me and it turns out that the club decided on a part for me for the festival dance without my knowledge.

Basically, I'm supposed to take on the role of a carnivorous dinosaur and I'm sure they did it just to mess with me, though I'm already over it and I'll dance my heart out and that's why I'm here, so that I could practice!" Juno declared as she fiddled with her fur on her cheeks and smiled at me.

_"Connor, just looking at her and seeing her standing there, even I would know that gray wolves are beautiful creatures if they weren't me or you," _Legosi pointed out and I couldn't help but agree with him since I had only seen pictures of animals in books back in my previous life and seeing them, even if they were humanoid, was an incredible experience that I would never forget.

"I see, and I hope you do well...although, I think I can help you since I was in charge of the lighting last year and I think I can give you advice for your role," I offered while I stood up and Juno perked up.

"Great, so can we do it right now?!" Juno exclaimed excitingly as she leaned forward with her hands clasped together and I was taken aback by that.

"Wait, um, now?" I questioned in bewilderment and she nodded before I sighed and agreed, then I turned on the spotlight in the ceiling above and counted Juno's steps while clapping in tune to her dancing and noticed that she wasn't doing all that great.

"I never get this part right since it's hard to do it at the right angle," Juno informed me and I stopped clapping and counting to stroke my chin thoughtfully until I had an idea that would help her.

"Well, I've never danced before but I do know the basics so let me help you get it right before everyone shows up," I said as I unzipped my jacket and took it off, showing my white t-shirt and my toned biceps as I placed the jacket on the floor and Juno's eyes widened for some strange reason.

"Here, try raising your elbows a little bit and bend your wrists more at this angle so I'm sorry if I'm being a bit vague," I apologized sheepishly as I showed her just what she needed to do and she frantically shook her head while I was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable at the sparkling look in her eyes.

"No, not at all and let's get started!" Juno cried happily before she hurried over and we got started.

After that, I helped her on how to dance more properly and corrected her on any mistakes as time shortly passed by until I was behind her and holding her arms out, then she suddenly went and grabbed my hand with her free one and turned around while holding my hands and holding a soft smile while I was puzzled by what she was doing and why it looked familiar.

"What is this strange feeling? My heart's pounding but I feel so calm and happy being with you right now...this is such a new experience and is it just me, or is there a chance that you feel the same way, Legosi?" Juno asked breathlessly and that's when it hit me with my eyes widening slightly in shock.

_'Oh hell, this girl fell in love with me while I'm in love with Haru? Goddammit, am I in an anime love triangle or something?'_ I thought in exasperation with a sweatdrop since I really didn't need to deal with that right now and as funny as it is watching it on TV in this world, it's too stressful to deal with in real life right now and I needed to let her down gently or things would get ugly in the future.

"I know what you mean, but I don't feel the same way so I'm sorry," I told her gently and Juno's smile went away just as the doors opened and Sheila came in, forcing me to pull away and I nodded at her in acknowledgment.

"Morning," Sheila greeted loudly and I bowed in response.

"Good morning," I said as Juno came into Sheila's line of view and she blinked at that in surprise.

"Oh, it's you guys and you're here early," Sheila pointed out and I nodded.

"Yeah, we wanted to get an early start so I'll go work on the lights in the rafters," I stated as I walked away and climbed up the ladder before I got started on the lights.

* * *

After practice in the drama club was over and I finished with the lights, I had headed back to my dorm for some free time so that I could wait for everything to be set up outside in the nearby park outside the campus and nearly bumped into a hedgehog but I managed to move out of the way just in time and headed back to my dorm room until I went in and found Jack spinning around and keeping his hands behind his back while sweating nervously and I arched a brow at that.

"Hey, I'm back and I nearly ran into a hedgehog but I managed to move out of the way in time and thank god for that since his quills would've hurt like hell. Anyway, where are the guys?" I asked when I didn't see the other canines anywhere and Jack flinched.

"T-They're hanging out in the tanuki room," Jack stuttered and I furrowed my eyes in confusion since he was acting really odd for some reason.

"Um, okay?" I commented uncertainly and just shrugged as I went to my bed.

_'Okay, now Jack is hiding something? You know what, I'm not even going to bother asking since it's probably another headache I'll have to deal with and I've already dealt with enough of them,' _I thought dryly as I went onto my bed and closed the curtains before checking on Legosi's pet rhinoceros beetle Kabu and feeding him.

"H-Hey, Legosi," Jack spoke and I hummed in acknowledgment.

"Yeah, what is it?" I questioned as I smiled down at Kabu, who was slowly moving to the food.

"I was wondering, um...we've known each other for a while, right?" Jack inquired as I closed the lid on top of Kabu's cage and frowned as I looked at the curtains.

"Jack, if there's something bothering you, then you can always tell me since it's not like you to keep something from me," I pointed out in concern and Jack poked his muzzle in while he was gulping.

"Well, we're best friends and you can always trust me, so I promise that I'll never judge you for anything you do or like what you like...insects, rabbits-" Jack started to reassure and hearing the last part of what he said caused my eyes to bulge out as I threw myself out of bed and tackled him to the ground as he yelped in alarm and I pinned him to the ground.

"I-I'm so sorry for looking at it and I won't tell anyone so please close your mouth!" Jack hollered frantically while I was gasping with a completely mortified look and instantly clasped my hands onto my mouth while my face turned blue from horror at the thought that he found out about my attraction to Haru and I let him up before sitting down on the edge of my bed.

"Um, really, I just wanted to read that manga I borrowed from you and...that's when I found this," Jack confessed as he showed me the porn mag the panda gave me, then my face felt very hot as I quietly sucked in a breath and I looked away while feeling so embarrassed and pissed at myself for not getting rid of the magazine when I should've done it in the first place.

_'Oh god, he found that?! Damn it, I feel like such an idiot for not getting rid of that and I just want to fucking die right now!' _I thought incredulously as I could just imagine that my face would be about as red as a fire truck if it wasn't covered in fur.

"Hey, I won't tell anyone, I promise but getting excited from bunnies...well, isn't that kind of weird?" Jack asked hesitantly as I picked up the magazine and held a sour expression.

"Look, it's...complicated because ever since I met this female rabbit, everything's been hectic and I've been confused about my feelings as a wolf towards a rabbit while it's been frustrating me, so I wanted to consider it from different perspectives," I admitted tensely as I avoided eye-contact with Jack.

"Wait, does that mean you actually love her?" Jack inquired and I became lost in thought as I thought about Haru and how it makes me feel breathless picturing her while I felt warm and happy, but then I recalled all of the terrible things I've done and how the Wasteland changed me for the worse before the fear of her finding out what I am made my decision for me and I decided that we couldn't ever be together, not after everything I've done.

"Legosi, I'm sorry if I was insensitive," Jack told me and I held up a hand to reassure him while I showed a false smile.

"No, it's okay because I know that it isn't love, just nothing more than a misunderstanding," I assured and Jack tilted his head with a puzzled look.

"Wait, are you sure?" Jack questioned in confusion and I nodded before looking away from him, feeling my heart strangely clench at what I said and how much it hurt but I ignored it since I had become good at suppressing how I truly feel most of the time and learned how to put up a fake smile to hide all the ugliness and darkness that was lurking inside me.

* * *

After a while, the festival was being set up and I was with Kai while we were busy painting the t-rex statue and I enjoyed how quiet and peaceful it was.

_'Quiet and simple, just the way I like it,' _I thought happily as I was doing perfect brush strokes on the legs and Kai hummed thoughtfully.

"Hey, we need more water because this paint is too thick," Kai notified me and I looked back at him while standing up.

"Don't worry, I'll bring back one bucket," I said and Kai thanked me as I grabbed a bucket and headed over to where I could get more water before I turned on the tap and waited for the bucket to fill up, then I turned off the tap and picked up the filled-up bucket before I started to head back to Kai.

Suddenly, something or someone grabs my tail and I looked over my right and at my left while raising my arm, then I saw Haru right behind me as she waved and smiled playfully.

"Hi," Haru greeted and I just stared down at her while feeling nervous.

_'Stay calm, we're just friends,' _I thought as I gulped slightly.

"Hey, I didn't expect to see you out here so how nice," Haru said as she went in front of me and I leaned down to see her better.

"Oh yeah, the gardening club is participating in the festival too, right?" I inquired curiously and Haru nodded.

"Yep, and since I'm the only member, it's been a lot of work so I could really use a hand if you're free right now," Haru complained jokingly and I froze at that before looking hesitant.

"Oh...I don't know...the drama club's pretty busy so I'm not sure if I can help out right now," I replied while sounding unsure and Haru sighed in disappointment.

"Really? Okay, I get it so I guess I'll have to manage and good luck then," Haru told me and walked away while my ears flattened slightly and I felt my heart clenching again.

_'It's better this way...she can't ever know what I am or what I'm really capable of so it's better that we stay as friends,' _I thought as I picked up the bucket and headed back to Kai until I was now on the top of the scaffolding and continuing the project with Kai.

"Crap, with Louis-senpai around these days, he always gives us shit and is always on our asses," Kai grumbled as I placed the paintbrush down and turned around before I could see Louis in the distance as he was walking around and passed us.

"Is he rehearsing for the lighting ceremony or something?" I wondered while I watched him heading over to Haru's booth, which caught my interest.

"No, there shouldn't be any rehearsals going on today so maybe he's here on personal business," Kai commented as I watched Louis with a look of interest.

I was curious to see what Haru's story is with Louis since I knew that he was hiding something and it didn't make any sense why he would do that if they were just friends unless something else was going on, then Louis stopped in front of Haru and she greeted him from what I could tell but he leaned down to pat her on the head affectionately and my mouth dropped open slightly in shock as I could feel something that was almost close to betrayal.

At that moment, my heart started pounding and I was getting tunnel vision as pure fury rose up in me and I squeezed the paint tubes in my hand tightly as I gritted my teeth and my face twisted into the look of an ugly frightening rage as Legosi started appearing uneasy at my reaction.

_"Connor?" _Legosi asked hesitantly but I wasn't paying attention as I remembered Louis lying to me and it made me even more livid as the paint tubes exploded from the sheer pressure, causing Legosi to jerk back and he slowly flew backward to get some distance from my wrath as I raised my hand and stared at the paint splatter on it.

_'Son of a bitch, I thought I recognized that scent on him before...god, I'm such a fucking moron for not realizing it sooner! Jesus, it's so difficult to breathe whenever I think about her and things have been so much harder while I'm around her._

_Haru...that expression on your face...I can't take it anymore, especially now since I've finally realized what this feeling is...I'm in love with you,'_ I thought darkly as I started smearing the paint across my cheek and dark familiar laughter appeared suddenly.

_**"That's right, feel that rage coursing through you to remind you that you're still alive and that deer is a threat to your affections for Haru, so now you know what to do," **_the voice whispered gently as a black cloud of darkness with red eyes exited me and formed into the figure I tried to fight against a month ago until it took the form of Legosi, but it held a dark smirk that didn't look right on the kind wolf and the red glowing eyes gave it away.

(Play The Nightmare Machine by Robert Foster)

I noticed that the original Legosi was gone as this dark version of him gently flew over to me and chuckled while he circled me until he was right behind me and rested his hands on my shoulders before leaning forward until his mouth was right next to my ear.

**_"You love Haru-chan and want her so why not take her? The rabbit is the only one who treated you like a person and you shouldn't let that deer get in your way, even if you must eliminate him to reach your goal so go forth and take her as your mate before you lose her forever,"_ **Dark Legosi encouraged sweetly as the demonic voice had changed into Legosi's smooth and deep voice, only it was darker and more sinister as I turned around to stare at him.

"Who are you?" I questioned as everything around us seemed to freeze in time before it warped and became the very place I wished I'd never see again as the Wasteland appeared while ruins and lifeless environments stretched before us.

**_"Who am I? I guess you could say that I'm a mixture of your true self and Legosi's instincts so I have to admit, I never thought that your mind is so fucked up and all those memories of 13 years...it's a wonder that you're still sane at this point since any other man would've been consumed by the Wasteland by now and turned completely insane," _**Dark Legosi stated as he suddenly changed into the dark version of me that was covered in blood, then a deathclaw, a raider, slaver, super mutant, and finally back to his Legosi form as I glared at him.

"Go to hell," I growled bitterly and Dark Legosi chuckled in amusement.

**_"Newsflash, Connor, I'm a part of you and you're a part of me so we're already in a hell that will never end and no amount of redeeming yourself will ever help you escape all of the things that you've done, the number of people you have killed and in such sadistic and slow manners like setting those cannibals on fire and watching them burn while they screamed for a mercy that would never come,"_** Dark Legosi pointed out with a twisted grin as the sky around us turned blood red and many decayed hands popped out of the ground around us.

The dead bodies rose up out of the ground and I recognized them as all of the people I've killed as they were rotting and some parts of flesh were gone while their empty sockets glowed red, just as blood started raining down from the sky and covered the ground before a few grabbed me and I started hyperventilating in a panic as Dark Legosi waved goodbye mockingly and disappeared into a black mist while I was struggling and we all started sinking into what was now a river of blood as body parts and internal organs came up to the surface.

I tried to fight back but there were too many and they were too strong until I let out one terrified scream before I became submerged completely, then everything changed back to the park where the festival was being set up while time had resumed before I let out a startled gasp and started making short panicked breaths as I leaned forward and gripped the metal pole in front of me while I was trying hard not to break down and start sobbing where everyone can see and Legosi flew over tentatively.

_"Connor...I'm sorry I wasn't there, that thing made me disappear again and I'm glad you're okay but you're shaking," _Legosi told me and I let go of the pole and could see what he was talking about as I let out a trembling sigh and managed to regain myself.

"Just don't ever ask me what happened, okay?" I suggested quietly and Legosi nodded respectfully as I went over to the paintbrush and continued finishing the project Kai and I was working on.

* * *

A/N Damn, talk about disturbing in the final half of this chapter and it shows that the person Connor used to be before he left the Vault is dead metaphorically since no one is ever the same in a hellish place like the Wasteland and he is pretty unstable while also being a broken man on top of it who's seriously tormented by the past as he tries to find some form of forgiveness in himself.

Anyway, nice little change I put in, right? I wanted to put down the state of Connor's broken mind and what better way to do it is by having the Shadow make an appearance again and pull him into his twisted mind to play a twisted mind game to try and get Connor to let out his dark and sadistic half so I hope you enjoyed the change that wasn't seen in the manga and anime.

So, let me know what you think and stay tuned.


	9. Chapter 8

It had been three whole days since I discovered Louis' secret relationship with Haru and I had spent all that time mostly pissed and depressed while sometimes freezing up whenever I would see Haru or Louis nearby while flashbacks of the Wasteland would happen, causing everyone around me to mutter or voice their concerns about me but I ignored what they were saying until those three days had passed and now it was time to light up the statues.

When the dino statues were turned on, everyone let out amazed gasps and talked to each other while I was washing my hands and then their voices became muffled as I paused when the tap water suddenly turned into blood and time slowed down before my environment changed to a classroom while I was ripping Louis apart with uncontrollable snarling and growling as Haru laid nearby just as dead while I feasted on Louis' dead body, then the corpse unexpectedly grabbed me and sat up with the rest of its internal organs spilling out as the body looked at me with no expression in his eyes that were glazed over.

"You killed us and now you must pay," Louis stated with an empty tone of voice as Haru rose up from the ground and stumbled over like a zombie until they both lunged at me, then I gasped and moaned as they ripped into me and felt my limbs being ripped off one at a time with my abdomen torn open and my internal organs being pulled out while blood soaked the walls.

Haru and I kissed while I was moaning and feeling nothing but pleasure from getting killed in such a horrific manner before I snapped out of it with a gasp as the area snapped back to the park while I held my hands under the tap as they had gotten soaked and I noticed that someone was shaking my shoulder, causing me to look and see that it was Kibi as he stared at me in concern.

"Hey, you were staring off into space for a long time so I wanted to let you know that we're heading back to school since it's getting dark," Kibi told me and I sighed as I turned off the tap and stood up.

"Alright, let me go find someone first and I'll meet you back at school," I said quietly as I gently flung the water off my hands and walked away before Kibi could respond, then I moved through the park until I saw Haru at her booth and walked up until I was right behind her and I started breathing heavily with my wolf instincts demanding that I claim her as my mate as she turned and looked up at me.

"Hello...Haru-san," I breathed out with a dark aura surrounding me and the shadows from our surroundings made me look a bit menacing while I appeared tense and twitchy.

"Um, hello Legosi-chan," Haru greeted hesitantly and I realized what I was doing before having the urge to slap myself for being an idiot and I immediately knelt down in front of her so that I would stop scaring her.

"So, how have you been?" I inquired with an uncertain look and Haru shrugged.

"I'm doing just fine, though I can see that you didn't go back home either," Haru pointed out and I looked down at the ground with a frown.

"No...Haru, why don't we head back together?" I offered uncomfortably as I gripped one of my knees and could see Haru tilting her head with a puzzled expression.

"Sure, but why?" Haru asked in confusion and I slowly looked up at her with my eyes slightly bloodshot.

"Because it's extremely dangerous being out here on your own, you know?" I rasped while one of my eyes twitched, causing Haru to sweatdrop as she agreed and we headed back to the station until we went down the steps and I made slight eye-contact with Haru before quickly looking away as everything became very awkward quickly while we arrived at the station and waited for our train to arrive at the platform.

"Legosi, ever since I first met you, I always felt like I could never read you," Haru admitted and I looked at her.

"Really?" I wondered and recalled her trying to have sex with me before I blushed and evaded, "Uh, it was a hot day today and it's supposed to be cooler tomorrow so it should be nicer."

"Hey, how come we never talk about it, about what happened that day? I tried to have sex with you the very first day we met and now that we're friends, we can just laugh it off," Haru told me and I grimaced.

"Honestly, it's easier said than done since that day was a pretty shocking one and I've been trying to process it, though I eventually decided to ignore it because it was too stressful to deal with...look, all I want is for you to value yourself and you really don't have to give yourself away like that," I confessed solemnly and Haru looked away.

"To be honest, it doesn't sound so convincing coming from you and you'll never understand how it is to feel as if you're always close to dying...I could get killed by a carnivore at any time before experiencing what true love is.

Since you don't have that kind of fear, you'll never understand how I feel at all," Haru stated as a train passed us and I frowned bitterly since I know exactly what it's like to be close to dying and I already died once before winding up in this world, then I saw Haru about to walk away and I sighed.

"Wait, just...listen, everyone goes through problems in their lives but there's no reason to degrade yourself in such a manner because you deserve better," I called out to her and she turned around with a scowl.

"What the hell do you know? You have no idea what it's like feeling so weak all the time and have people treat you like you're something fragile that will break if something were to happen to you, something you will never understand because you've been strong your entire life," Haru snapped irritably and I looked away from her.

"You're wrong, I've been through some pretty bad situations in my life and it made me vulnerable while I'm still struggling to deal with it so I understand more than anyone what it's like to feel what you're feeling," I argued and the air became tense as we started glaring at each other.

"Maybe you have problems, but you haven't been through what I have so don't you dare pity me or think I need to hold your hand because I don't need help, especially from a carnivore who thinks he can judge me!" Haru shouted and I started clenching my fists.

"It's not pity, it's called being a concerned friend and I'm not judging you at all because my problems are a lot worse than yours so what you went through is nothing compared to what I've experienced and you have no right to think so little of yourself when everyone goes through what you're going through or worse!" I spat darkly as I tried to keep my temper under control and prevent myself from saying something I'll regret, then I noticed that we had drawn a crowd with herbivores looking at me nervously and carnivores glared at me suspiciously while calling for help.

"Sir, you need to help her!" a gazelle cried to a male cat wearing a security uniform, who had walked over to see what the commotion was and glared at me.

"Hey, wolf, what the hell are you doing to that rabbit?!" the officer interrogated harshly before I tensed up while putting my hands in my pockets and avoided eye-contact.

"I don't want any trouble so I'm just going to leave," I said quietly and turned around to walk away while keeping my head low.

"Hey, you're not going anywhere now don't walk away!" the officer demanded as his hand grabbed my arm roughly, then the combination of the stress of finding out Haru's secret relationship with Louis, the horrific visions I've been witnessing, and the paranoia of being surrounded and shouted at just boiled over in seconds.

Suddenly, I found myself in the ruined DC subway system before my training kicked in and I spun around before grabbing the raider's arm and twisting it behind his back as he yelled in pain and I threw him into a nearby wall until he slammed his head against it with a loud crack ringing out as his nose was broken by the force, then I dropped him as scared clamoring broke out and I snapped out of it to see the crowd backing away from me with looks of fear in their eyes and another security officer charged at me.

"Haru, run!" I shouted as I grabbed her arm and forced her to run with me as the horse yelled for me to stop while I looked back to see the cat joining him with his hand over his bloody nose.

"Legosi, what were you thinking?! Because of what you did, they're going to call the police and have you arrested for assault if they don't catch you first!" Haru scolded as she ran forward and wound up dragging me along with her.

"I wasn't thinking and I didn't want to hurt him, I just reacted when he grabbed me!" I exclaimed as we kept running and ignored the security officers as they ordered us to stop.

"That doesn't matter, carnivores can be arrested for even showing the slightest aggression to herbivores and you assaulting and nearly killing that security officer will give them all the excuse they need to throw you into juvie or prison if they charge you as an adult!" Haru stated loudly as we pushed our way through people, causing them to let out protests as we kept running.

"Careful, I might kick you by accident!" I yelped frantically as I apologized to anyone we pushed past and Haru looked back at me.

"You know, I can't figure you out since I can't tell if you're kind or just plain rude!" Haru groaned in exasperation.

"Um, actually, I'm just trying to figure things out myself while you and I are different in so many ways that we really need to talk it out!" I shouted as my breathing was getting heavy from running and my lungs started burning.

"Don't worry about me, you just need to run at full speed and get in front or we'll both get arrested so hurry!" Haru encouraged as I looked uncertain at first, but then I narrowed my eyes in determination and picked up an extra burst of speed as I passed Haru and looked back at her.

At that moment, in all that time I was around her and all the time I've been in love with her, I was actually proud to be a wolf for the first time since I arrived in this world and I had no idea where this life will take me, or how people will see me in this broken world, but a path other than killing and surviving is opening up for me and I just have to keep moving forward as I sent a small smile at Haru and focused on running as we managed to avoid the security officers and took cover in one of the bathrooms that were meant for smaller animals before hiding in one of the stalls.

* * *

After that, we remained quiet while I was cramped and hunched over behind Haru as we squatted on the toilet and I made sure to plant my hands on both sides of the stall while one of the security officers checked the bathroom and was called back until he left, then Legosi flew through the door until his transparent head was poking in and he informed me that it was clear before I let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"Hey, I don't hear anything so we should go," Haru said but that wasn't on my mind right now since I wanted to ask her something.

"Haru-chan, even at this moment, do you feel like you're close to dying? Are you afraid of me after what you saw me do to that security officer?" I questioned quietly and Haru remained quiet for a short time, which wasn't a good sign until she huffed.

"We already talked about that and I can't tell if you're being rude or if you really are kind because you scare people when you talk like that, not to mention that you can be violent sometimes," Haru stated as she elbowed me in the stomach and we got out of the stall.

After we managed to sneak onto a train and headed back to the school district without being found by security, Haru and I headed to a convenience store to buy a water bottle for me and a carrot juice for her until we found ourselves in a park near the school and sat down on a bench to take a short break.

"You know, I read in a magazine once that carnivores are more popular if they act more cheerful, but it kind of makes sense in a way so don't you agree?" Haru asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, I guess so," I muttered as I became lost in thought and remembered nearly killing her in the school's courtyard a month ago.

_'She sounds like she's having a good time, which is good but I just can't hide it anymore since it's eating me alive...that settles it, I don't care if it causes serious consequences, I need to tell her about that night so that I can get it off my chest and not have any regrets anymore,'_ I thought as I tensed up and was about to confess when I was interrupted.

"Actually, I was almost killed by a carnivore a while ago myself and I didn't see who it was since it was really dark out and it was at school...see this? The first day we met, my arm was covered in bandages, remember?

I said I didn't remember how it happened, but that was a lie and I'm so relieved that I didn't die or I wouldn't have met a friendly wolf like you. So, to answer your previous question, I didn't feel like my life was in danger at all, even if I saw you attack that security officer unexpectedly so why don't you cheer up and give me a smile," Haru stated as she patted my back while I froze and kept looking at her until I felt like shouting my head off in frustration.

_'Dammit, I can't tell her because now isn't the right time and if I do tell her, then she won't ever want to be friends anymore and until the time is right, I'll just live with it until then,' _I thought as we finished our drinks and dumped our trash in a nearby bin before we walked back to school and stopped at the front gate.

"Haru-chan, thanks for everything today," I told her and she smiled at me.

"Don't thank me, just enjoy yourself so smile," Haru told me and I was at loss for words before showing her an awkward smile and she chuckled.

"Seriously, is it really that hard? Come on, you can do better than that," Haru encouraged and I hoped that things will stay like this between us as we headed back to our dorms and said our goodnights before I went to bed.

* * *

Once time had passed by until it was nearly two weeks later, I had continued my regular routine with going to class and drama club before I checked the lights today to see that they were operating 100% until I spotted Louis walking in with his left hand bandaged up, something I heard about Bill being responsible but that didn't matter since I started glaring at him darkly and went down the ladder before approaching him from behind without making any noise.

"I heard about what Bill did to you, so I hope it doesn't leave a scar," I told him coldly and Louis turned around to glare right back at me as the air became cold from tension.

"It's certainly nothing compared to your back and you've been looking at me like you want to rip my throat out, so I'm getting sick of it and what is your problem? If you have something to say, then say it," Louis snapped irritably, though I could tell that he was becoming unsettled by the look of murder that was on my face judging by his body language and micro-expressions.

"Nope, nothing to say at all," I responded with my voice eerily calm as the other club members started muttering to each other about us.

"Look, don't bring your personal issues into the club and this goes for the rest of you because the festival's just around the corner and we're not even close to being ready, so you all better be giving a flawless performance right now," Louis told us and the other members groaned slightly while I was struggling to hold myself back from ripping his head off right there and then until the doors opened.

"Sorry I'm late, there was a sloth who needed to use the restroom so I had to carry her there," Juno announced and everyone looked at her before the other members of the actor's team walked over to her and they met up while chatting to each other until I walked away from Louis while sending him one last glare before I stood with the other members of the stage crew until Juno spotted me.

"Oh, Legosi, I saw the dinosaur sculpture in the plaza, and thanks to the art department's hard work, the actor's team can do their best and dance their hearts out!" Juno cheered and I hummed in acknowledgment.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," I stated and noticed that the other stage crew members were eyeballing me for some reason but I didn't want to ask since it would probably be another headache I would have to deal with.

"Hey, don't you dare try and take our Juno-chan all for yourself," Kibi warned quietly and I sent him a puzzled look for his strange behavior.

"Kibi, the fuck are you talking about?" I questioned in sheer confusion and he didn't respond, causing me to ignore him so that I wouldn't have to deal with whatever the hell was going on.

As I watched Juno inspiring everyone on the actor's team to come together and work hard for the festival, I was impressed that she had become so popular with them so quickly and it made me think about how Haru might've been right about how carnivores are more likely to be well-liked if they were cheerful, but I had dealt with too many horrors and tragedies to the point that I couldn't feel happy or cheerful anymore and I hated being this angry and tormented man who's mentally broken.

While the day continued until we headed to the park and it became dark, I wondered if there was ever any hope for me since I knew that the person I used to be in the Vault is long gone and I have no idea if I'll ever recover from what I've been through for 13 years, not after the amount of blood I have on my hands and what had been done to me while my soul was tainted in darkness but I couldn't keep thinking about what I could've done differently or I would lose what's left of my remaining sanity.

"Legosi, you have a split-end on your tail," Kibi notified me and I looked at him while we were sitting next to the other drama club members.

"Well, don't yank it out and I'll deal with it once I head back to my dorm room," I said as I moved his hands away from my tail and Dom approached us.

"Alright, let's head back to school since it's already late and Louis-senpai is already gone," Dom told us and Fudge sighed.

"Dom-san, how the hell do you have so much energy?" Fudge wondered with a sweatdrop as Juno showed up.

"Excuse me, I just wanted to say thank you for your patience and the actor's team is ready to go as well," Juno informed us and Kibi smiled warmly.

"Hey, nice to see you again and thanks for letting us know," Kibi said and Juno nodded before she turned her attention on me.

"Legosi, the rehearsal went really well today and it was all thanks to you so I'm very grateful," Juno complimented and everyone looked at me while I shrank a little from all the attention that was on me before I cleared my throat.

"No, um, you're the one we should thank so we should head back," I changed the subject and the others agreed before I stood up and put on my backpack until Juno let out an uncertain noise.

"So, I see that the meteor is already finished," Juno pointed out nervously and I arched a brow at her odd reaction before I looked at the object in question and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it sure looks that way," I commented as Juno came closer and stood next to me.

"Well, the festival is in two days and it looks so pretty...you know, the legend says that the couple who lights a candle and place it in the meteor together, their love would prosper for all eternity so do you believe in that?" Juno asked and I frowned thoughtfully since I wasn't sure I believed in something like that, but spirits and aliens exist so anything was possible.

"Hmm, the jury's still out on that one so I don't really know, but it would be interesting if it was true...huh, their love would prosper for all eternity," I muttered and thought about Haru as I wondered how she was doing right now since I talked to her earlier and she didn't need help at the moment.

"U-Um, Legosi...if it's okay with you, will you be able to-" Juno started to ask and was promptly cut off when all the lights around us shut off and people started screaming in alarm while running around in a panic.

"W-What's going on?" Juno wondered anxiously as my night vision kicked in and I looked around feeling fully alert while my senses became heightened.

"Remain calm, it's a blackout and we need to find the others," I stated as I saw the others standing nearby and gestured for Juno to follow me before we jogged over to them.

"Hey, is everyone okay?!" I called out in concern and the others looked in my direction.

"Legosi, where are you?" Dom asked uneasily as Juno and I stopped in front of the others.

"Don't worry, Juno-san and I are here so I'm going to put my hand out," I reassured as I reached out my hand and Dom took it.

"Thank god, now what the hell is going on?" Dom inquired.

"I think it's a blackout but remain calm and do not panic so let's gather everyone together for now with the herbivores in the middle while the carnivores form a protective circle around them," I instructed calmly and everyone did what I said as I kept my eyes open for any potential ambushes.

"Hey, how many of us came here today?" Aoba asked and I racked my brain until I gasped with my eyes wide in horror as I remembered that Haru was here and is most likely scared out of her mind, then the fear of her getting kidnapped or killed by carnivores prompted me into action as I separated from the group and looked back at Aoba.

"Aoba, there's someplace I need to be, so keep the others safe while I'm gone," I told him before I sprinted away while he called for me in disbelief, but I ignored it and rushed over to Haru's booth until I made it.

"Haru-chan!? Haru-chan, it's Legosi!" I called out as I looked through the booth and didn't find her anywhere while frustration and desperation rose in me while I gritted my teeth.

"Dammit, where the fuck is she?!" I shouted and Legosi quickly flew over.

_"Connor, calm down because panicking won't help so use my sense of smell to find her," _Legosi suggested helpfully and I took a few deep breaths to calm down before I closed my eyes and focused on the scents all around me.

_'He's right, I need to stay calm and focus...got it,' _I thought as I just picked up a faint trail of Haru's scent through the flowers and started tracking it.

I followed the scent around the park while people were running aimlessly in a panic and soon knelt down on all fours to sniff the ground like a feral dog as the scent started getting fresher, then I looked up to discover that the scent led to one of the trees nearby before I stood up and squinted my eyes to get a better look until I saw a small figure hiding behind the tree and I smiled while letting out a sigh of pure relief until I rushed over to where Haru was hiding.

"Thank god-" I started to say and was cut off.

"Louis-kun, I knew you'd come for me!" Haru cried out as she got up and rushed over to hug me, just as something in me cracked from hearing that and I just stood there while pure unbridled hurt filled me and my heart clenched tightly as the lights turned back on and Haru noticed that she wasn't hugging who she thought it was as she looked up at me.

"Legosi, I'm terribly sorry about that and talk about embarrassing," Haru admitted as she let go and backed away a few steps, then I knelt down in front of her and showed an empty smile.

"It's fine, I'm just relieved that you're safe," I reassured and Haru looked at me.

"But, I really couldn't see anything since it was so dark," Haru said awkwardly and I waved a hand to let her know that I wasn't offended.

"I know and are you hurt? I can see that your uniform is dirty so take this," I offered as I took out a handkerchief from my back pocket and held it out for her to take.

"Oh, I couldn't and I'm sorry," Haru told me and I shook my head.

"Don't worry, just use this," I encouraged and Haru hesitantly took the handkerchief.

"Thank you," Haru told me and I nodded.

As I continued to talk to Haru, there was no denying that I felt completely heartbroken at the knowledge of never getting into a relationship with her and I suppose that it was fitting for me since I had committed many sins in my past life and was now destined to always be alone in a broken world that feared and hated me for being a wolf, something that hurt in a way that I almost couldn't bear it and I resigned myself at the fact that I'll always be a lonely outsider in a world that didn't want me.

* * *

A/N Ouch, poor Connor and now he is close to his breaking point where just one more bad day will push him over the edge and he'll lose it completely, something that I don't think the world of Beastars will ever be prepared for since Connor is practically unstoppable with his skills and a wolf's body so everyone around him has no idea that he has become a ticking time bomb that will explode at the slightest thing.

Anyway, as for Connor attacking the security officer, the lesson for the day is never to grab a hardened survivor with 13 years of hellish experiences while his back is turned and he's in a fragile state since that's one good way of getting seriously injured or killed, so that's another change in canon since Haru witnesses Connor's violent side and how frightening it can be but she hasn't seen what he's really capable of so she got lucky there.

So, let me know what you think about this chapter and stay tuned.


	10. Chapter 9

I was walking down the hall that led to Tem's memorial and sighed as I was feeling completely depressed and didn't know what to do anymore, just as I tapped the back of my head with the soda can that was in my hand and made a face.

_'Shit, it's been three months since Tem was murdered so what the fuck are the police doing? There's been no report of them arresting anyone and they had canine detectives at the scene at the time so it's like they're sitting around with their thumbs up their asses,'_ I thought in frustration since it would normally take a few days to a couple of weeks to solve a murder and it was pissing me off that they appeared to be doing nothing.

At that moment, I remembered the conversation Tem and I had in the locker room before thinking about a person's true feelings and how it was apparent that Haru loved Louis, something that hurt greatly since I love her, and finding out about her feelings for him made me felt like I was all alone in a world that didn't want me but it also made me think that they might've loved each other before I met her so that made me feel even worse.

_"Connor, you look even gloomier than usual so are you okay?" _Legosi asked in concern and hearing how worried he was made me feel better slightly since it was nice to have someone be there for me, even if I pretty much stole his life from him.

"No, but thanks for the concern and it's just...christ, I just don't know what to do anymore since it turns out that the girl I love is already with someone so that certainly stings like hell," I admitted with a grimace and Legosi sent me a sympathetic expression.

_"Hey, I'm really sorry about that but I'm sure you'll find the right girl one day,"_ Legosi reassured and I groaned at that.

"That's just it, there is no other right girl and I certainly don't feel anything for Juno since she appears to be more clingy with me for some odd reason but it's fine, I'm used to being alone for 13 years so it doesn't bother me," I muttered as I was about to turn at the next corner that led to Tem's memorial and spotted Louis kneeling in front of the memorial, causing me to duck into a nearby classroom and I quietly shut the door before scowling in displeasure.

_'Dammit, of all the people I really don't want to see right now, it just had to be him though I wonder...' _I thought as Legosi hummed thoughtfully.

_"Connor, since everyone tends to stay away from that area, I bet nobody knows that Louis-senpai continues to bring flowers for Tem,"_ Legosi pointed out and I nodded in agreement until I let out a quiet sigh.

"Damn, I wasn't expecting him to keep coming here since the only time I saw him at the memorial was just after Tem's murder," I muttered in surprise before I noticed something just outside the door and peered outside to see a jaguar kneeling before he stood up with a quiet growl as Louis passed us.

Seeing the murderous intent in his body language, I knew that I had to do something fast before this guy kills Louis so I opened the door and tackled the guy into another hallway as he was about to pounce on Louis, then we hit the floor before I restrained him with my arm around his neck and my legs wrapped around his torso so that he couldn't break free while he was biting my arm and I listened very carefully as Louis seemed to stop for a minute until he continued walking away and I waited until he was gone so that I could get some answers.

_'This guy just tried to kill Louis and even though I have mixed feelings about him right now, I don't want him dead so time to get this guy to talk,' _I thought as I moved my arm away from his mouth and glared down at him while he struggled.

"Fuck, I'm sorry so let me go! Shit, when did Louis get a bodyguard?!" the jaguar exclaimed while I kept him restrained and used my free hand to grab his tail so that I could yank it before he let out a pained yelp.

"I'm not his bodyguard, just a concerned student now tell me why you were going to kill him," I demanded as I unwrapped my legs and pinned him onto the ground with my hand on his head as I also gripped his tail and the jaguar just laughed.

"Well, if you're just a student, then I don't need to tell you shit, so just go and do some tricks for Louis," the jaguar insulted before he started yelling in pain as I pulled his tail.

"You know, I'm in a pretty foul fucking mood so if I were you, I wouldn't piss off the one guy who could rip out your tail so talk or you'll find yourself missing an appendage," I threatened with my voice eerily calm and the jaguar seemed to understand that I wasn't making an idle threat before he froze.

"Alright, you crazy bastard, I'll talk! Come on, you're a carnivore so you should know there are a lot of us out there who want to lynch Louis right now...after the festival, it's pretty much confirmed that Louis is going to be the next Beastar so if that happens, then that'll cause the carnivores' social standing to suffer horribly so that's why I thought to make a name for myself by getting him first before that happens.

Hey, you're a wolf so you get it, right?" the jaguar questioned smugly and I frowned as I thought about my previous life before I died.

_'That kid breaks up a brawl between a wolf and a tiger, has the best girl a guy could have, and pay his respects to a fellow student in secret but as for me...everything I touch withers and dies while I just kill people and make things worse._

_I'm nothing more than a monster that should've gone to hell for what I've done when I died that day and I have no right to destroy Louis and Haru's relationship, and I'm just realizing what I should be doing right now...nobody else is worthy of becoming the Beastar so if carnivores are his enemy, then I'll ensure that Louis isn't killed by a lynch mob._

_I have to give up on love and I'm used to being alone so it doesn't bother me as much as it should and I should let this guy know why killing Louis is a bad idea,'_ I thought as I sent the struggling jaguar a deadpanned expression.

"You are a fucking idiot and did you ever stop to think that maybe killing Louis-senpai would make things worse for us? Maybe you should've thought this through before you decided to kill the Beastar candidate and cause the entire school to be segregated," I pointed out dryly and the jaguar paused at that before I helped him up and let him go.

Suddenly, the jaguar turned around and tried to punch me but I quickly reacted by grabbing his fist and twisting his arm behind his back as I kneed him in the stomach as pinned him against the wall with my arm against his neck as he thrashed around and promptly yelped when I put pressure on his arm.

"Listen to me very carefully, I will break your arm if you try to deck me so don't do that again," I warned sternly as I let him go and backed away while the jaguar sent me a vicious glare as he clutched his stomach.

"There's no fucking way you can protect Louis all by yourself, dumbass!" the jaguar snarled before he took off running and I sighed as I scowled.

_'Damn it, so much for vowing not to get into any conflict in this world but there's nothing I can do about that now and just have to bear with it,'_ I thought as I looked at Tem's memorial before walking over to it and kneeling down as I stared solemnly at his picture.

"Hey Tem, sorry it's been a while but I've been busy so I hope that you're happy, wherever you are and I just wanted to let you know that I haven't found your killer yet despite searching for any leads these past few months.

I don't understand why the police are doing nothing about this even though they should've solved this in just a couple of weeks...it's like they don't care or are just covering this up, but I'm not a cop so I don't know how they do these kinds of things so I hope that the killer is found soon.

Well, cheers buddy," I said as I took out my soda and opened it before holding it up and making a slight gesture like I was tapping it against something until I drank from the can and was finished soon after.

I stood up and sent a respectful nod to the memorial before I walked away, wondering if the killer will ever be found as I thought about Haru and decided to tell her how I really feel about her so that I could get it off my chest finally.

* * *

After that, I headed to where the festival was and walked over to Haru's booth until I saw her taking care of her flowers and I cleared my throat to get her attention.

"Haru-chan," I greeted as Haru turned around and she smiled at me as I kneeled in front of her.

"Hey Legosi, how are you today?" Haru asked and I shrugged as I sent her a small smile.

"Eh, can't complain since it's a nice day today," I stated and Haru nodded as I tried to get the courage to tell her how I feel.

"Well, it doesn't seem very safe outside since everyone's talking about how a carnivore caused the blackout last night so I'm glad nothing bad happened and what do you think, Legosi-kun?" Haru inquired and I started looking uncomfortable since it was time to tell her and I took in a deep breath.

"Um, the truth is that I think I'm in-" I started to confess and was cut off.

"Oh my, these mosquitoes are really vicious today!" Haru shouted suddenly as she frantically scratched herself self and my eyes became tiny dots while I blinked at her odd behavior.

"Uh, it's actually not that bad," I pointed out in confusion and Haru huffed.

"You can't see them," Haru told me and I sent her a puzzled look.

"Well, I can smell them and I would know if it's bad because they would be swarming me as well," I stated and Haru flinched at that before crossing her arms and puffing up her cheeks irritably.

"Good point, but they are bad today," Haru evaded and I frowned before clearing my throat.

"Anyway, as I was saying before, I really love-" I tried to confess again and was cut off again.

"Argh, my ears itch!" Haru interrupted and that's when I knew something was going on since it looks like she doesn't want to hear what I have to say, then she quickly walked away and I stood up to follow her.

"Okay, now I know you're doing that on purpose since you cut me off twice and you call me rude, now what's going on?" I questioned suspiciously and Haru looked back.

"Look, it's none of your business and why would you talk about this suddenly without any warning? You're so unbelievable sometimes that I just want to strangle you," Haru retorted as she tried to get away from me and I grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Haru-chan, I don't want my feeling for you to hurt our friendship in any way because I cherish you and I respect Louis-senpai...I don't want to cause any harm, especially with how society is right now so I want you to know how I feel and I'll tell you only once.

Listen, since the festival is tomorrow, let's meet right here at sunset because I want to tell you exactly how I feel...I get it if it's too sudden, but do you think by tomorrow that you would be ready for the two of us to talk it over?" I asked and Haru looked uncertain for a few seconds.

"O-Oh, okay," Haru answered hesitantly and I nodded.

"Alright, then I'll see you tomorrow," I stated as I smiled at her slightly and walked away.

As I walked around and took in the sights of how full of life the world is, I recalled my dad and felt remorseful that he was gone since he would've loved seeing all of this while I sighed solemnly and headed down a path until I spotted a few people crowded around something before hearing Haru's description get my attention and my ears perked up. Acting quickly, I climbed up a tree and knelt on a large branch so that no one could see me, then my blood ran cold when I heard that Haru had been kidnapped and saw one of the animals holding a black card with an insignia on it while one of them said the name Shishigumi.

Suddenly, almost all of them froze when they heard the name and muttered to each other quietly as I could see the Mayor approaching the group and asking about what was going on until he was given the calling card and his eyes hardened before reassuring them that he would take care of it before the group left, then the Mayor stared down at the card grimly until he ripped it in half and tore it up into many pieces before throwing them away and I felt fury and hot rage since I understood what he just did and was more than pissed that the Mayor was going to do nothing about this.

At that moment, I remembered Louis and realized that he knew nothing about what happened so I needed to notify him about the situation so that we could save Haru from potentially being killed, then I jumped down from the branch and landed onto the ground before taking off to where the festival was at and I searched everywhere for Louis, then I eventually found him standing near a tent looking very frustrated about something until I rushed over and grabbed his arm before he looked back in surprise.

"Louis-senpai, thank god I finally found you because something terrible had happened! Listen, Haru-chan was kidnapped by a gang called the Shishigumi and we need to save her before she's killed by them!" I explained frantically and was shocked when he shrugged my hand off his arm.

"Listen, it happens all the time so there's no saving her," Louis muttered as he walked away and I was stunned by how cold he was being about this.

"A-Are you fucking serious? That's your girlfriend you're talking about and we need to save her!" I cried in disbelief as I went after him and Louis scoffed.

"You want to go save her, be my guest," Louis stated dismissively and that was when I started feeling livid as I chuckled bitterly.

"Oh, I see, she was nothing but stress relief to you and the second you no longer need her, you just toss her away like she's garbage so you never loved her in the first place-" I spat harshly and was cut off from saying anything else when Louis backhanded me across the face and I stumbled back a couple of steps while I clutched my cheek.

"Don't you dare act like you know anything about me because you are a wolf pretending to be a nobody, nothing more than that and you'll never understand anything! There's nothing we can do about it because we can't cause a citywide panic just to save one girl.

You hide your true self from everyone and lie to fit in with society so we need to maintain peace, even if it's fake so just accept that Haru is gone and never coming back," Louis scolded as I lowered my hand, then something in me just snapped and I lost it completely as my eyes became dead and hollow while I walked up to Louis and placed my hands on his shoulders.

"I see...in that case, I'll show you my anger at how people think they can do whatever they want and get away with it, my rage at this broken world that lets people die just to preserve some bullshit peace, and just how fucking livid I am at you!" I snarled before decking Louis across the face and he was flung a few feet away from me until he bounced off the ground a few times and came rolling to a stop before I walked up to him with a deranged look.

"Did that get through your thick fucking skull yet?" I hissed darkly before Louis kicked me with both feet and I stumbled back with my hands on my stomach.

Louis got up and came at me with a right hook and I blocked it with my left arm before twisting his arm behind his back and struck him in the abdomen a few times with nasty hits before kneeing him in the chest until I sent him to the ground and started beating him viciously in the face with my eyes wild and my face holding a crazed expression as I kept striking him in the face and someone grabbed me from behind before prying me off of Louis.

I reacted by elbowing the person in the solar plexus and he let out a choking sound before his grip loosened and I flipped him over my shoulder until I gripped the dog's arm and sent a nasty kick into it, then a loud snap rang out as the dog howled in pure agony before I let him go and he clutched his arm that was suffering from a compound fracture while he sobbed from the intense pain as a few more carnivores tried to stop me.

Pretty soon, I used my skills to incapacitate most of them by breaking a few limbs before I sent a vicious stomp into the face of a husky and he was knocked out as his nose was broken from the force, then I breathed heavily as I looked around and saw everyone who didn't try to stop me looking completely terrified of me and I turned my attention on Louis, who had gotten up and was staring at me with fear in his eyes while his face was bloody and swelling up bad as the carnivores I had brutally beaten was groaning and sobbing in pure agony while clutching either shattered ribs or broken limbs.

"Louis, you want to be a fucking coward and abandon people during your path of making to the top, then that's your damn choice but understand this...Haru will be mine," I declared menacingly with one of my eyes twitching and I took off running from the scene as I went into the city to gather information of where the Shishigumi might be hiding.

_'I'm going to kill them all and they better start running before a real monster finds them,' _I thought coldly as I headed to the black market since it would be the best place to start.

* * *

A/N Well, it looks like Connor has completely lost it and now he's going to be on a bloody rampage until Haru is safe so the Shishigumi members better start running since Connor won't stop until every single one of them is dead, which is why I have to warn you all that things are going to get seriously disturbing since Connor's dark and sadistic side has now been unleashed while the way he crippled those carnivores proves it.

So, let me know what you all think about this chapter and stay tuned.


	11. Chapter 10

After I arrived at the black market by following Haru's scent, it became masked by the smells of meat and other carnivores while I didn't show any reaction that I had lost her scent and continued my original mission of gathering information so that I could locate the Shishigumi, though I knew that no one here would talk about the yakuza group since they were most likely afraid of them and the only thing I could do was listen in on other peoples' conversations so that I could find the location of the Shishigumi while dark ominous clouds covered the sky and I heard the faint sound of thunder.

I walked around and kept my ears open for any information until I heard a cat and a dog talking about Haru and how she was going to get eaten tonight, convincing me that they know where the Shishigumi is so I decided to interrogate them once I lured them someplace private and proceeded to knowingly shoulder the cat as I passed him before he and the dog turned to shoot nasty glares at me.

"Hey, you got a problem, asshole? Why don't you apologize before me and my friend beat the shit out of you," the cat threatened and I bowed humbly.

"Sorry about that, though you guys look like people who are well informed about what goes on in the black market so you two wouldn't happen to know where the Shishigumi is, right? I have business with them so could you show me where they live?" I questioned and the two carnivores looked surprised to hear that until they stared at each other with knowing expressions and smiled at me while chuckling.

"Sure, we know where they live so follow us," the dog said and gestured for me to follow them as we started walking in a random direction.

Pretty soon, I was walking in front to give them a false sense of security as I was guided to a warehouse district and noticed that the cat was favoring his left leg while my ears picked up the faint sound of something metallic clinking around in his pocket, telling me that he had a knife on him as we arrived at a dead end and I decided to drop my naive front while my expression became empty.

"So, are you going to pull that knife on me yet?" I questioned the cat, who faintly sucked in a breath since he wasn't expecting that before I heard him quickly taking out the knife and hearing that got me to prepare myself as he rushed at me from behind.

I spun around and sent a kick into his chest before knocking him to the ground with a haymaker, just before I was grabbed from behind by the dog and I started struggling to get loose as the cat got up with a murderous glare and started to approach me with the knife.

"Dammit, hold him still so that I can shank the prick!" the cat snapped irritably while I was thrashing around and making it hard for the dog to keep a firm grip on me.

"I'm trying, but this fucker is really squirming!" the dog grunted as the cat got close and that's when I made my move.

I sent a kick into the cat's groin and he started choking and gagging in pain with his eyes bulging out as he collapsed to the ground while clutching his groin, then I elbowed the dog in the face to disorient him before turning around to and knock him out by grabbing his head and bashing it into the building next to us before I walked over to the cat and kicked him across the face until I grabbed him by the armpits while lifting him slightly.

"You and your friend are coming with me," I stated darkly as I started dragging the cat toward the entrance of a nearby warehouse that was unoccupied and he started struggling.

"Let me go...or I'll fuck you up!" the cat wheezed as I dragged him into the warehouse and left to get the dog until I dragged him inside as well and closed the door.

(Play The Pulse by Bear McCreary)

After that, I found a wooden chair and put the cat on it before restraining him with a thick rope and chained the dog to a pipe before proceeding to beat the dog viciously in the face after slapping him awake while I heard the cat struggling to get free.

"God, just what the hell do you want?! Stop it, you're going to fucking kill him!" the cat shouted before I quit beating the dog and he started coughing while I glared down at him.

"You wait here," I told the dog menacingly before I walked over to where the cat was and took the knife before grabbing another chair and placing it in front of the cat until I sat down and stared at him with a dead expression.

"Now...the Shishigumi, where are they?" I questioned emotionlessly and I was spat in the face while my head jerked to the side slightly.

"Screw you, I'm not giving you anything!" the cat growled as I calmly wiped away the saliva that was on my cheek and stabbed the knife into his leg before he screamed in pain.

"Fuck!" the cat howled in pure agony as he hung his head and I lightly smacked him in the chin to get his attention on me again.

"Focus on me, right here, or I'll pop your goddamn knee off. Now, where is the Shishigumi's hideout?" I asked calmly and when the cat didn't answer, I moved the knife around and he screamed in pain.

"Next to the black market, next to the black market!" the cat shrieked in agony before I yanked out the knife and put the handle into his mouth until I picked up a map of Tokyo I had found earlier and held it up so he could see it.

"Now, you're going to mark it on the map and it better be the same spot your buddy points to, so mark it," I instructed with my voice sounding slightly unstable while my right eye twitched, then the cat frantically marked the location of the Shishigumi's hideout until he spat out the knife and I folded the map before putting it away in my pocket.

"It's right there and you can verify it so go ask him, go on. He'll tell you because I'm not lying, I'm not lying," the cat pleaded as I stood up and took the knife, then I walked over to the side of him and stabbed him in the chest before slicing his abdomen open with blood and internal organs spilling out onto the floor below him as he gurgled loudly and I narrowed my eyes irritably.

"Shut the fuck up," I snapped in annoyance before stabbing the cat in the throat four times until I slit his throat open down to the bone and his body twitched until it stopped moving, just before I stabbed the bloody knife into the chair and picked up a pipe until I started walking over to the dog while he was thrashing around with a terrified expression.

"Fuck you, psychotic bastard, he told you what you wanted and I'm not telling you shit!" the dog shouted in complete fear and I stood before him while looking down at him darkly.

"That's alright, I believe him," I stated coldly and raised the pipe while the dog's eyes widened in horror.

"No, wait-" the dog attempted to plead but it was too late as I swung the pipe and smashed it across his head.

I kept bashing the dog's head non-stop while blood splattered onto the ground until half his head looked like a crushed watermelon with blood, bone, and brain matter leaking onto him and dripping onto the floor as I let out a deep breath before dropping the pipe and could see Legosi looking completely horrified and utterly sick by my handy work just as the door opened and I looked to see that it was the panda I encountered a while back, who appeared shocked by what I just did while I noticed that he had a crossbow with bamboo arrows.

"My god...kid, what the hell did you do?" the panda wondered in disbelief while I just stared at him with no life in my eyes.

"Still think I can be fixed? You can't fix what's already long broken so get that through your head and what's your name?" I asked as I headed to a sink that was in an office before washing my hands to get rid of the blood until I left and the panda seemed to snap out of it.

"Gouhin, but look at what you just did! You slaughtered these guys in cold blood so what the hell is wrong with you?!" Gouhin cried out incredulously as I looked at him impressively.

"What isn't wrong with me...listen, I'm going after the Shishigumi and I'm going to need backup so will you help?" I inquired stoically and Gouhin widened his eyes.

"You just brutally murdered two people and now you want to massacre a very dangerous yakuza group?! Kid, you must have a few screws loose because you're going to get yourself killed since you'll be going up against 35 lions that string up corpses of herbivores on their front gate," Gouhin reasoned and I didn't show any kind of reaction.

"Doesn't matter, I already know where to go and I'm doing this, with or without you," I told him lifelessly and Gouhin looked like he wanted to strangle me.

"Dammit, did you even listen to a word I said?! I don't know what the hell they did to piss you off so much, but they'll kill you by ripping you to shreds and that's if I'll let you go on this suicide mission of yours!" Gouhin scolded and I sighed as I looked down.

"Yeah, maybe you're right, but nothing on this earth will stop me from finding them because the rabbit girl I told you about was kidnapped by them and it's true that I might die attempting to save her, but I can't just abandon her when I could do something about it right now.

I committed a lot of sins in my life and I want to atone for them because the first time I met her, I tried to kill her and...this pathetic nobody of a wolf ironically fell in love with her so I want to make it up to her and in the small chance I survive this, the first thing I'll do is confess my feelings for her if I get the chance, though I'd probably be dead before that happens," I admitted quietly while I avoided eye-contact with Gouhin and he scoffed.

"Shit, you are one piece of work since I can't tell what goes on in your head, but I'll help you because I don't want your death on my conscious," Gouhin grumbled as it started raining outside and I looked at him.

"Are you sure?" I asked and Gouhin sighed while he rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, I'm sure and I can't believe you're risking your life for the girl you love...fucking hell, it's kids like you that are going to be the death of me one day but we're lucky that it's starting to rain so today's the best day for cat hunting.

Listen, as uncomfortable as I'm about to do this, but I need to get you armed so that you don't walk into the Shishigumi's hideout completely helpless," Gouhin said reluctantly and I nodded before gesturing at the dead bodies.

"What about the bodies?" I questioned and Gouhin raised a hand in a reassuring gesture.

"Don't worry about it, I'll take care of this once we're done getting your girl back...shit, look at me, I'm covering up two murders for some kid who's mentally unstable when I should turn him over to the police, but I guess you made me soft so let's get this over with," Gouhin muttered as he gestured for me to follow him and we left the warehouse before heading to the Shishigumi's hideout.

* * *

After that, Gouhin explained to me that he had secret caches of firearms and explosives stored in many different areas of the black market for a worst-case scenario and he took me to one before showing me a variety of firearms that weren't even legal in Japan while he took an M60 before I took a kevlar vest and slipped it on while strapping a leg holster to my leg, then I grabbed an M1911 and loaded it up until I holstered it while grabbing a Remington pump-action shotgun and loading that as well while I slung it and grabbed an AK47 before finally loading that.

I took an ammo strap and placed it across my torso while putting 00 buckshot shells into each slot as I took ammo pouches and clipped them to my belt, then I placed ammo mags for my AK and sidearm into the pouches before I spotted a few bottles of alcohol and an idea came to me while I opened the bottles and stuffed rags into them before putting the small bottles into my pockets and we left the cache until we eventually arrived at the Shishigumi's hideout where I could see a few dead animals strung up onto the wooden gate by rope as the rain matted my fur and I looked hollow.

"Well, here we are and make sure to fix your face so that your fur doesn't get into your eyes," Gouhin told me and I swept back the fur on my head before doing a weapon's check with my AK and I took off the safety before we moved quietly to a couple of trees nearby as I peered out and saw that there were two lions guarding the entrance.

"I can see two contacts keeping the entrance secure so we need to circle around and find a back way in," I notified Gouhin and he sent me a strange look.

"Have you been in the military or something because you talk like a soldier," Gouhin pointed out in confusion and I looked at him.

"Something like that, now let's move out before we're noticed," I said before something pressed against my back and I could tell that it was a gun as I swore under my breath.

"I think that's enough out of you two so put down your guns and show me your hands," a male voice ordered and I was forced to comply as I placed my AK, shotgun, and sidearm on the ground while Gouhin did the same with his M60 and crossbow before we raised our hands.

"Damn it, so much for doing this quietly," I muttered as we turned around to see a lion aiming a gun with one hand and holding an open umbrella with the other while he was dressed in a nice suit and wearing glasses while Gouhin smirked.

"Well, why don't you try beating the shit out of him?" Gouhin questioned rhetorically and I sent him a glare.

"In case you haven't noticed, smartass, there's a gun aimed right at us and any sudden moves will result in me and you getting killed," I retorted with a scowl as the lion cleared his throat to get our attention.

"So, a heavily armed wolf and panda, huh? Well, to be honest, I'm not well informed about the Shishigumi's potential enemies, but I don't give a damn if you're here for revenge or window shopping since trespassers are not allowed here so you're first, kid," the lion threatened while I just stared back at him with no fear in my eyes.

"What are you going to do, kill us?" I questioned with my voice far too calm, considering that I had a gun aimed at my head.

"Exactly, since this is a good opportunity for me and nothing you say can spoil this...see, we felines always hated you canine trash since you share our ferocity, but your docile and servile attitudes are fucking infuriating.

You're a gray wolf, which makes you the representative of all canines so I'm going to enjoy blowing your damn brains out, and do you have any last words?" the lion taunted as he forced me and Gouhin to back up onto the middle of a nearby bridge until he got us to turn around, then I caught a scent coming off of him that was very familiar and I sniffed deeply to identify it until I recognized it as Haru's

_'I see, this bastard touched Haru,' _I thought as a cold rage rose up in me and my fur bristled.

"Tell me one thing, what did you do to her?" I questioned calmly as Gouhin could see that I was about to go apeshit on him but my face and voice was eerily calm, which was apparently frightening since he tensed up.

"Ah, you two are here to save that rabbit girl so now I understand, though I think you're a little too late since the only way to see her is if the boss vomits her up and that's if she already isn't digested yet," the lion mocked and my blood started running hot as my body convulsed slightly and my eyes glowed red, but I was in complete control, unlike last time as the lion poked me in the back with his gun.

"Now, kneel...I said get on your fucking knees!" the lion shouted harshly as he went to shove me onto the bridge, but I ducked and knocked his aim away while the gun went off before I spun around to disarm him and pinned him against the railing as I bashed him across the face twice with the gun until I pressed it against his stomach.

"You're lying because I don't smell any blood on you, not her blood that is. Now, the girl, where is she?" I questioned coldly and the lion didn't answer, prompting me to shoot him once in the stomach and he let out a choking gasp.

"Talk," I empathized and no response caused me to shoot him again and he started gurgling as blood came out of his mouth.

"You're going to tell me where she is or the next shot goes into your fucking groin and you'll never have kids again, that is if you survive getting shot in the stomach twice," I threatened calmly as the lion stared at me in a mixture of pain and fear.

"Top floor...far end," the lion wheezed weakly until I let him go and he slid down onto the bridge, just before I aimed at him and killed him with a shot to the face before I tossed the gun and went over to get my gear while Gouhin was looking stunned to see me execute someone in cold blood as he followed me and got his weapons.

"Legosi, just what the fuck did you go through to become like this?" Gouhin questioned and I paused before looking at him with a dead expression.

"Hell, just nothing more than pure hell," I muttered as we headed back to the bridge and got ready since the gunshots no doubt attracted the guards at the front door.

"Hey, a little bit of advice, bite them in the neck if you run out of ammo since one of your biggest advantages against these felines is your jaws, when it comes to fighting that is," Gouhin advised me and I nodded.

"I'm not supposed to bite but I couldn't give a shit because these fuckers are going to rue the day they ever touched Haru-chan," I vowed darkly and Gouhin smirked.

"So, you really do love her? Well, even if this love started from hunting instincts, you're not going to give up trying to change fate so don't run and face it head-on since the right move is always going to be the hardest, but it's worth it," Gouhin told me as he patted my shoulder and my eyes hardened.

"I've known that for a long time and it's why I have to do this, or else I'll really be no different from them," I stated as we could see three lions running over to investigate what was going on until they saw us and I let out a quiet growl with a cold expression.

"That's right, tame the beast within you because that's what it takes to become a man in this world, Legosi," Gouhin encouraged before we charged at the lions and all hell broke loose after that.

I killed one lion with a burst fire from my AK and Gouhin shot the second one with his crossbow as the third lion pulled out a Glock and fired at us, causing me to roll out of the way with Gouhin taking cover at a tree and the lion was shot dead by me before I ran to the front doors and kicked them open while startling three more lions and they stared at me.

"Who the hell are-" one lion with a bokken sword started to question and he was cut off when I shot him in the face, then his head snapped back with a red spray of blood exiting the back and the dead body fell back while the other two took out a P226 and a sawed-off shotgun before shooting back.

I rolled into cover at a pillar until I slung my rifle and took out a Molotov before using a lighter to lit the rag and I leaned out of cover to throw the bottle until it smashed right by the lions' feet while being set ablaze, then the lions that were on fire started screaming in agony as they ran around with their arms flailing uncontrollably until they collapsed and twitched before they died while I rushed past the charred bodies and went up the stairs where another lion was running down the steps.

The lion tried to take a swing at me with his claws, but I ducked and quickly slung my rifle before doing a quick draw with my sidearm and shooting him three times until I threw him aside and ran up the steps until I spotted a lion about to walk downstairs until I tackled into him and fired twice before throwing him down the stairs and saw that I was in a room with a few more lions while they got up from their seats at a table and pulled out their guns to shoot me.

I dived out of the way as gunshots rang out and took cover against a pillar before holstering my sidearm and unslinging my rifle, just as I leaned on the opposite side and killed three lions with rapid gunfire until I flicked out the empty mag and did a fast reload with a fresh one while Gouhin joined me by laying down suppressive fire with his M60 and I moved out of cover while heading up the stairs before one of the surviving lions snuck up behind Gouhin and smashed a chair against his back while I spun around to look at him.

"Gouhin-san, you good?!" I called out urgently as Gouhin started wrestling with another lion and he turned his head in my direction.

"Legosi, keep going to the top floor while I deal with these assholes!" Gouhin shouted before the lion he was struggling to overpower suddenly struck him twice across his face with the sound of Gouhin's nose breaking and he stumbled to a wall before resting his hands on it and breathing heavily.

"We know that an ursid's nerves are concentrated right in their noses," the lion growled as he cracked his knuckles and went to hit Gouhin again, causing me to act quickly by rushing over and redirecting the attack before kneeing him in the chest and punching the lion in the face a few times until we grappled with each other and I was forced against a wall with his hand around my neck.

"Stay out of my way, you fucking mongrel! Well, I never thought that a kid like you would be killing all my friends and you're friends with that rabbit? Don't worry, I'll kill you quickly with the same hands that kidnapped her," the lion mocked as he started strangling me and I picked up Haru's scent coming from his hands, then I closed my eyes and started sniffing until I discovered that it was fresh.

_'The scent's still fresh so it hasn't been that long yet...Haru, just wait for me because I'm coming to save you and I miss you so much,' _I thought calmly as the lion was trying to make me let go.

"You disgusting bastard, let go of me! Hey, what the hell are you getting high off-" the lion shouted and was cut off from saying anything else when I slammed my head into his face with a look of pure rage, breaking his nose in the process and making him let go as blood spurted out of his nose while he collapsed.

_'How the sensation in my nose stirs the muscles throughout my body and makes my blood boil, it's all because of you...I understand now, this is so much more than instincts and it's a simple desire that makes me stronger, make me feel like I'm more than just a monster. __Haru, I'll see you soon,' _I thought as an expression of peace took over for a second while I thought about Haru until Gouhin snapped me out of it.

"Legosi, leave this to me and go!" Gouhin called out while he had a lion in a headlock.

"Are you sure?" I questioned and Gouhin nodded.

"Don't worry about me, I can handle these assholes so stay safe!" Gouhin reassured and I narrowed my eyes.

"Got it, you too," I stated as I took off and ran up the stairs before getting into more firefights with more lions after that.

* * *

"No, please," a lion begged before his face and half his head was blown away by buckshot as I stood in the middle of a few bodies that were missing a few limbs, charred, and shredded chests while I was soaked in blood and looking like a demon more than anything while ran from the aftermath of carnage and quickly moved down a hallway.

I had slaughtered many lions during my rampage and finally made it to the top floor where I could see the door at the end of the hall, then I burst in and saw Haru about to get her throat ripped out by a lion before hot rage rose up and I rushed over while grabbing a cane and sent a nasty strike across his head before he was thrown off of Haru and the light above me was shattered as the room became dark with only a few candles illuminating the room slightly while I noticed that Haru looked shocked to see me while I could also see that she was fully nude as we stared at each other.

"L-Legosi-kun, you're covered in blood and carrying guns," Haru pointed out in horror while my eyes softened and I looked away since I felt ashamed of her seeing me like this, then I sighed while putting down my rifle, removing my shotgun, ammo strap, and kevlar vest before I took off my shirt until my torso only showed a white tank-top since I decided to let Haru use my shirt to cover herself up.

"Legosi-kun, behind you!" Haru alerted and I threw the shirt at her while I ducked under a lunge and sent a solid kick into the lion's chest before backing up to get some distance.

"Here, wear that!" I shouted as I dodged a few swipes and deflected one before doing a palm strike to disorientate the lion.

"You came for me, why the hell did you do that?!" Haru cried out in shock as I pulled out my sidearm and went to shoot the lion, only he knocked my aim away as the gun went off and the bullet struck the sliding door that led to a balcony and my gun went across the room before I was kicked in the stomach and stumbled back.

"No time to talk, need to deal with this asshole first!" I told her loudly as I clutched my stomach and winced.

"You idiot, you're going to get yourself killed!" Haru scolded but I didn't pay attention and resumed my bloody fight against the lion.

* * *

A/N Damn, this has to be one of my darkest chapters but as we all know from the manga, things are going to get bloody in the near future and I had fun putting down Connor's dark and sadistic side being unleashed onto the Shishigumi and the muggers, though what he's done is tiny compared to what he had to do in the Wasteland to survive.

Anyway, I have a question for all of you and what do you think about me making a prequel that shows Connor's life in the Wasteland after this story is complete? I've had this idea for a while now and wanted to see what you thought about it so let me know if you want me to do that or not.

So, let me know what you think about this chapter and stay tuned since the love hotel scene in the next chapter is going to go a little differently than what you all saw in canon.


	12. Chapter 11

I currently grappled with the lion while we both snarled at each other and I kneed him in the stomach before slamming my head into his face, which shattered his glasses and I was kicked into a sofa before he lunged at me and the sofa toppled over with a lamp and a small table being knocked over with a loud crash as I kicked the lion off of me. I let out a war cry as I swung at the lion but he dodged and bit down on my arm hard enough the break the skin while also sending his claws into my side, causing me to scream in agony as I struck him many times across the face to make him stop as I was sent to the ground.

"Legosi-kun!" Haru exclaimed in horror and I looked at her while pushing the lion's head to try and get him off.

"Haru-chan, get the fuck out of here and run as fast as you can!" I shouted in pain and urgency before punching the lion across the head again.

"No, I won't leave you!" Haru refused while she was crying and I groaned as the lion bit down even harder.

"Haru-chan, just run and don't worry about me because I'll catch up later!" I assured before I kneed the lion in the chin and he let go before I started breathing heavily and got up to one knee as the lion rubbed his chin.

"Well, this isn't going anywhere, so how about we end this fight right now," the lion suggested and that's when my eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, I agree," I stated as I remembered a conversation between me and Jack.

* * *

_"Kabu-chan, you're looking much stronger so good for you," I said with a slight smile as I let the little beetle move across my hand and Jack looked at me while we're sitting on my bed in the dorm room._

_"Wow, you're taking good care of it so you should be proud," Jack commented and I frowned while I watched Kabu move around on the back of my hand._

_"Yeah, I guess...it's just that, this might sound stupid, but I'm doing this just for myself since some other part of me may not want it," I told him as I was looking pensive._

_"What do you mean?" Jack questioned and I sighed while turning my hand so that Kabu could move onto my palm._

_"Well, no matter what I do, a creature so small and helpless like Kabu-chan will never feel completely safe and secure around a large animal like me," I admitted as I curled my fingers so that my claws aimed at Kabu and he stopped moving since he most likely sensed that he was in danger._

_"Oh, I see...you're still hung up on that rabbit girl, is that it?" Jack inquired in concern and I closed my eyes as I carefully pondered the right words to say to him._

_"She once told me that I would never understand what it was like to feel close to dying and in some way, she's right since I'm a carnivore and have never experienced that before but I wonder...if we're never going to fully understand each other, then what was the point of me being born a wolf and what is my purpose in this world?" I wondered as I thought about all the lives I had taken and parts of myself that I had lost from all the horror and tragedy I had witnessed._

_"Maybe, we're all just trying to figure that out...kids and adults or carnivores and herbivores, all struggling since it's been decided what species we are the moment we're born and we're all trying to make sense of the world around us while figuring out our purpose in our own way," Jack told me and I frowned thoughtfully as I considered what he said while watching Kabu move around on my hand._

* * *

_'I think I understand what you mean now, Jack, the reason why I'm in this world full of evolved animals...maybe the reason why I'm here instead of winding up in heaven or hell is that I've been given chance to make things right,'_ I thought as I stood up with a glare and turned to look at Haru with an apologetic look.

"You don't want to see this, trust me," I warned solemnly before I looked away from her.

"Legosi-kun?" Haru questioned and I sighed while I closed my eyes and then I opened them before they hardened.

"Haru-chan, I'm sorry you had to witness this," I muttered as I raised my hands into a boxing stance and that when I saw a transparent rhinoceros beetle on one of my fists as I was puzzled at first.

At that moment, I recognized the beetle as Kabu and nothing but sorrow hit me as I realized the Kabu had passed away and I was looking at his spirit but I was feeling happy that his spirit showed up to give me the strength to win against the lion before Kabu took off and flew away while I smiled until I closed my eyes and searched for the beast within me when I felt a familiar dark presence.

_**"So, you want my help to defeat this lion? Very well, let me lend a little assistance," **_Dark Legosi told me and I felt my blood boiling with my muscles tensing as I growled ferally and opened my glowing red eyes.

_'Haru, there's no need to be afraid anymore since these claws are for you, these fangs are for you, now let me be your beast,' _I thought dimly as I lunged at the lion while snarling like an out of control rabid monster.

I used my instincts and skills to dodge a strike before I circled the lion fast on all fours and kept dodging his attacks while passing and injuring him with nasty swipes until I tackled him to the ground with my claws ripping into his shoulders, then I proceeded to beat him brutally with my fists bashing his face for a short time while breaking his jaw and nose until I lunged forward and sank my teeth into his neck and ripped out a chunk of flesh as blood spurted into my face and I spat the piece of flesh away while I was breathing heavily with slight growls in my voice.

_'Do I look like a demon to you, Haru? The choice is yours,' _I thought as I looked at her, then I saw that Haru's eyes were wide in fear and almost flinched at the sight of her trembling.

"It's alright, Haru-chan, you're safe now," I reassured as I stood up and walked over to her before reaching out for her to take my hand as I asked, "Will you run away with me?"

"L-Legosi-kun, you're shaking," Haru pointed out and that's when I discovered that she was right as I shook uncontrollably and recalled the terrible things I did to those lions and the muggers earlier.

I saw Haru reaching out hesitantly and she took my hand, just before I pulled her into a hug and struggled to keep my composure as my breathing became uneven and I closed my eyes while tears welled up.

"Thank god...I'm so glad you're okay," I whispered as I tried hard not to break down in front of her, then I stood up and we left the room before Haru screamed in horror at the sight of the lions I had massacred.

"Just don't look," I told her as she buried her face into my leg and we walked past the scene of carnage.

After that, I managed to wash off the blood in a sink I had found in a bathroom but my tank top was still bloody on my side so I couldn't reach it due to being injured and we went down to the first floor before leaving the building and saw a few lions that were tied up.

"Legosi-kun, did you do all of this?" Haru asked with a look of shock and I weakly shook my head.

"No, I had a little help from a middle-aged panda I met a while back," I groaned as we continued walking away from the Shishigumi's hideout, then I heard two gunshots coming from the building and figured that one of the survivors must've killed their boss since any lion showing weakness is killed by other members of the pride with the leader being no exception as I got rid of the leg holster, remaining Molotovs, and ammo pouches while we left the area.

* * *

Once we left the Shishigumi's compound, Haru and I headed to a park and I laid down on a bench before Haru sat down on the other one next to me until I became silent pretty soon after with everything going black and snapped out of my pain-induced delirium an unknown time later before letting out a groan as I regained consciousness, then I noticed that my arm and side were bandaged as Haru perked up.

"Legosi-kun, thank goodness because you weren't moving at all and I thought you were dead," Haru said in complete relief as I slowly sat up and slumped back against the bench.

"Nah...it'll take a lot more than that to kill me so you don't need to worry," I reassured weakly and saw Haru starting to tear up.

"I'm sorry, you did all of this for me but it's my fault..." Haru trailed off with an expression of guilt and I sighed with a tired expression.

"Haru-chan, it's okay because we're alive and that's all that matters right now," I told her and she shook her head.

"You risked your life to save me and nearly died in the process so it's not okay!" Haru scolded and I grimaced as I slowly turned to look at her.

"Please, don't ever do that to yourself because I was the one to make the choice to save you so, if anything, I should be the one to blame myself for nearly getting killed...hey, we should get something to eat since I'm starving right now," I wheezed as my stomach growled loudly and Haru nodded while we stood up and headed to a market place that wasn't far before winding up at a noodle shop and taking our orders until I paid the cashier and we waited for our dinner.

"Here, one large serving of yakisoba noodles with egg!" the server informed me as he placed my dinner down onto the table in front of me while also handing Haru her food and I bowed my head at him.

"Thank you, this looks good," I complimented the server and he nodded.

"Of course, you look like you've been through hell so eat all you want, kid," the server said with a grin before he walked away and I looked at Haru before gesturing at her plate.

"Go on, dig in since your food's going to get cold," I encouraged while taking out two pairs of chopsticks and giving her the smaller ones until we broke ours apart.

"Itadakimasu," Haru said and I repeated it before we started eating and Haru stared at me for a short time until she cleared her throat.

"You're pretty organized for a 17-year-old since you hide emergency funds in your shoe," Haru pointed out and I paused at that until I came up with a convincing lie.

"Yeah, my grandfather taught me to do that when I was a pup," I lied while keeping a straight face, thankful that Legosi told me a little about his grandfather once but was reluctant to do it and it told me that his grandfather was a sore subject to talk about so I let it go.

"So, you're a grandpa's boy?" Haru asked and I shrugged.

"No, it's just one of those memories from childhood," I stated and resumed eating after that.

"Hey, when we're finished, let's take the train home," Haru offered and I nodded just as the server passed us and paused when he heard what she said.

"Um, I'm sorry to tell you this, but the last train left a while ago," the server notified us and we froze at the bad news, then I thought about how it was too far to walk back to school and it was too dangerous since we could get jumped by muggers and I was too injured along with being very exhausted to fight back against any attackers.

"So, um, how much money do you have right now?" Haru inquired hesitantly and I mentally counted up how much yen I had until I grimaced.

"Uh, about 4'500 yen...Haru-chan, should we find a place to stay for the night?" I questioned awkwardly and Haru nodded.

"Yeah, we don't have a choice so we should since I'm not sleeping in an alley somewhere," Haru stated and we finished off our dinner before looking for a hotel to stay in.

* * *

After searching for a hotel to stay the night in and discovering that most places are too expensive with the amount of money I had on me, we found ourselves in a red-light district while I felt more and more awkward until Haru stopped me and pointed at our right.

"Hey, look Legosi-kun, this place allows mixed species and it's cheap so let's stay here," Haru offered as I looked at what she was talking about and saw the neon sign saying Hotel Rose on it, then I recognized what kind of place this was and one of my eyes started twitching while I blushed.

"Um, Haru-chan, you do know what this place is, right?" I questioned uncomfortably and Haru also looked flustered.

"Yeah, I know, but we don't exactly have much of a choice and this is our cheapest option, but it'll be okay since you won't get id' for your age," Haru told me nervously as an alpaca couple left the love hotel and saw us before they stared at us judgmentally and walked away quickly.

_'Great, now people are starting to stare at us so I hope that this won't bite us in the ass,' _I thought nervously as Haru tugged on my pant leg to get my attention.

"Come on, let's go inside since I don't want to stay out here," Haru suggested and I bit my lip and decided that I was going to sleep out here since things would get too awkward just before I leaned down and cupped my hand against the side of my mouth.

"Hey, I think I'm going to sleep outside, and are you sure that you want to stay here?" I asked quietly and Haru looked puzzled.

"Wait, why not?" Haru asked in confusion before I cleared my throat awkwardly.

"Well, think about it, you were just kidnapped by carnivores so wouldn't it be hard to sleep next to one?" I questioned and Haru looked pensive.

"You're the one who came and rescued me from them so why are you scared all of a sudden? You saved me from a lion yakuza boss," Haru pointed out and I looked away as I pondered the best way to respond as I could see Legosi also looking pretty embarrassed.

"That's exactly why I'm scared since, and this is going to sound awkward, but I'm in a...let's say male mode and if we were to sleep together in the same bed, then something between us is bound to happen and I don't think I'm ready for that yet," I admitted uncomfortably while standing straight like a pole with my tail also standing up and Haru chuckled before she walked past me and I turned around to see her standing at the entrance of the love hotel.

"Just relax, it'll be alright and you're Legosi after all so anything you do tonight won't be a mistake since you're the great hero of the day," Haru reassured and my eyes bugged out before I stared at the back of her head like she was crazy until we went inside.

_'Wait, am I seriously going in with her?! Seriously, when the hell did this escalate so quickly and how is she so comfortable about this?! I'm a fucking wolf and she shouldn't be okay with this right now, especially after going through a traumatic event caused by carnivores!_

_Argh, I'm so goddamn confused right now!'_ I thought stressfully as I paid the cashier for a room and he sent an odd look at me and Haru but didn't comment on it as he gave me a key, then Haru and I took the elevator to our destination and arrived at our room before going inside and I looked around while letting out a quiet groan and standing still next to the door as Haru jogged over to the AC that was at the foot of the bed.

"Okay, I'm turning down the AC and how do wolves prefer it, hot or cold?" Haru asked as she hopped up onto the bed and I rubbed my arm that wasn't bandaged.

"Um, I think we prefer if it's a bit cold," I informed her nervously and Haru started adjusting the temperature on the AC.

"Great, me too," Haru agreed before she moved off the bed and I took in the room around me.

_'Controls next to the pillows and a wall-sized mirror? I heard about these kinds of places here and back in the Wasteland but this is the first time I've ever been to one,' _I thought as Haru headed over to where the TV was and picked up the remote before humming thoughtfully.

"Aw, they don't have karaoke here so that's a shame," Haru commented in disappointment before she put the remote down and walked over to the bed until she sat down on it.

"Hey, sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, but have you stayed in these kinds of places before?" I inquired hesitantly and Haru nodded.

"I do, though I've never felt this nervous before so have a seat," Haru told me as she patted the bed in a gesture for me to sit right next to her, then I slowly walked over until I sat down and Haru yelped as she bounced on the bed before grabbing my injured arm to stabilize herself and she giggled while I looked at her.

"I'm sorry, this bed is bouncy and I'm just so light compared to you while you seem bigger than when we first met," Haru remarked humorously and I sent a subtle look at Legosi, then he seemed to understand what I was telling him before he looked flustered and nodded until he flew through a wall that led out into the hallway to give us privacy.

At that moment, I gulped and steeled myself before turning to look at Haru but before she could react, I leaned forward and planted my lips onto hers until I closed my eyes and then Haru got into it as we kissed and she placed her hand on my jaw before gently stroking my cheek with a thumb while we locked lips and enjoyed ourselves until we separated and I let out slightly heavy breaths as my heart started racing at the thought that I was doing this.

"Wow...that was pretty nice but you should take your tank-top off since it's covered in blood," Haru pointed out and I nodded in agreement since having a bloody shirt on while about to have sex is a turn-off.

"Yeah, I agree so hold on for one second," I said as I went to take my tank-top off and Haru reached over to help me.

"Here, raise your arms," Haru instructed as she scooched behind me and I lifted my arms before she helped me get my tank-top off.

_'I can't believe I've changed a lot since I met her, now I feel lighter than before and not as depressed so maybe finding someone to spend the rest of my life with was what I needed in the end,' _I thought in realization before Haru started tracing the scars on my back with a finger.

"Legosi-kun, your back is covered in so many scars...how did that happen?" Haru asked in concern and I knew that it was time to confess now.

"It all started when I met you and I remember how much of a cold night it was while all we could hear was the sound of the fountain," I told her before gently putting my hands around her.

"Legosi-kun, what are you-" Haru started to ask and she was cut off when I pulled her into the same hold I had done that night months ago in the courtyard while she froze up.

"Ever since that night, everything changed for me...Haru-chan, I've been keeping something from you because the first time we met wasn't in the garden on the roof of the school. You see, the monster who attacked you behind the lecture hall...was me.

I was about to kill you and, I just..." I trailed off with my voice cracking and filled with guilt while I couldn't continue my confession with that night coming back to me like a horrible rash and I breathed shakingly as Haru placed a hand on my arm.

"Don't worry...actually, I had a feeling it was you and I wasn't suspicious, though there were a couple of times that I kinda sensed it and it's why I didn't know how I felt about you all this time since I wasn't sure if you were planning on killing me or if you had other intentions," Haru confessed while I looked down at her in shock.

"Why? Why are you being so kind to me after figuring out that I tried to kill you and that had known these past few months?" I questioned in disbelief.

"Because you looked the same as me like you were always close to death but, you know, we've been stuck in this position the whole time and it feels like we're frozen in time so what happens next is up to you, whether you have sex with me or eat me is up to you in the end," Haru told me as she reached up and touched my cheek and I teared up since this girl didn't treat me like a monster, but an actual person who was lonely like she was and needed comfort.

"Haru-chan, what if I told you that I'm...not the Legosi you know but someone who looks and acts like him?" I questioned hesitantly since this was a very big risk I was taking and I was afraid that she wouldn't believe me while ending what we already have.

"You're the only Legosi I've ever known and I wouldn't change it for anything so are you going to make love to me or eat me? The choice is all yours," Haru stated and my heart started racing after hearing that.

"H-Haru-chan...I-I can't," I stuttered and Haru stroked my cheek with her hand to calm me down while she giggled.

"It's okay, your heartbeat is getting me excited too so I imagine that this is harder than the fight you got into earlier," Haru pointed out and I gulped.

"Yeah, I know and I have to make a choice, something you understand," I stated and Haru sighed.

"No, I don't, but you have to decide," Haru told me and I looked down at her while raising one of my hands and noticed that I was trembling.

"God, I'm shaking," I said quietly and Haru took my hand.

"It's okay, just take it slow," Haru encouraged gently but I felt completely uncertain and didn't know if I was ready for this.

_'Wait a damn second, am I doing this? She's so small, too small that my entire hand covers her whole torso but I'll take it slow like she said and try to be careful not to hurt her,'_ I thought as I steeled myself and moved back with her slightly so that we could have more room for what happens next.

I adjusted myself and leaned down to plant kisses in the area between her neck and shoulder while taking a hold of her small but perky breasts and gently explored them, causing her to arch her back slightly and let out a small gasp of pleasure while I tweaked her nipples and squeezed her breasts until she let out an unexpected yelp of pain that caused me to scoot back from her with my hands up while I held an expression of alarm.

"Your claws are sharp," Haru informed me while looking back and my eyes widened at that.

"S-Sorry, are you okay?" I questioned in a panic and Haru smiled softly to show that there was no cause for alarm.

"I'm fine and it's okay, so relax and let's keep on going...now, why don't we lay down?" Haru offered and I relaxed slightly as I kicked off my shoes and she crawled up to the front of the bed before laying on her back and I moved until I was hovering above her.

"Am I too heavy for you?" I asked and Haru shook her head while removing my summer shirt that she was wearing until she was completely nude.

"No, I'm fine because you're not heavy," Haru reassured and I went back to caressing her breasts with one hand while supporting myself with my other one and my knees.

Haru moaned quietly while I stared down at her with a soft expression and could feel myself becoming aroused with my canine cock slipping out of my sheath and pressing against my pants while creating a nice large bulge, then I moved down to where I could see her pussy and noticed that it was glistening until I leaned forward and ran my tongue across it before Haru let out a loud gasp and started moaning while I pleasured her with my tongue and kept squeezing her breasts until I moved my hand and lifted my head to where her clit was.

I stroked her pussy with two fingers and licked her clit while Haru was arching her back and gripping the sheets until she squealed and I moved my head back down to lap up her juices while she orgasmed until it stopped and I licked my chops, just before I crawled up and lined up my groin with hers while I unbuckled my belt and unbuttoned my pants before unzipping it and slipping down my pants and underwear before I could see my large canine member and didn't know how it was going to fit inside but I would make it work in a way that wouldn't hurt her.

"Oh, Haru-chan," I whispered as I started grinding against her pussy and shivered from how good it felt while I placed a hand on the side of her head and Haru reached up to touch my jaw again as we went to kiss again.

"Legosi-kun," Haru breathed out as I got closer, then she suddenly lunged upwards and her arm went right into my mouth as I started gagging and feeling nothing but pure terror at the knowledge that I might crush her arm and remove it if I so much as bite down.

"Oh god, I'm sorry but my body is moving and wants to go inside your mouth!" Haru cried out in alarm as the air in the room became nothing but tense after that.

* * *

A/N Well, you all can see that things in the last half of the chapter have gone a little different but not too different to where they're having full intercourse and I changed the animal male anatomy to where they have to the ones their feral ancestors had, which should make sense since they're still animals even if they evolved into humanoids.

Anyway, I'm going to be putting down a part that shows one of Connor's nightmares and I will be taking a bit of inspiration from the attack on the resistance underground bunker in the classic 1984 sci-fi horror movie the Terminator to empathize just how the Wasteland is nothing but a place filled with no hope and constant horrors while decent civilized people struggle to survive daily by monsters and psychopaths so I can't wait to write that down.

So, let me know what you think about this chapter and stay tuned.


	13. Chapter 12

Haru and I stared at each other while we were frozen stiff, the air in the room beyond tense as I tried not to move my jaw at all and the thought of me severely injuring or killing her by accident caused my arousal to go away with my cock slipping back into its sheath.

"Oh shit, you're kidding me," Haru muttered and took her arm out of my mouth before I closed it and focused on pulling my pants and underwear on until I finished buckling my belt and moved back until I sat down in front of her.

"I'm sorry, it was like my body just tried to be eaten by you," Haru added and I shook my head.

"No, it's okay since it's quite obvious that we're not ready for this yet," I reassured with a stoic expression as I realized that I basically took advantage of her just after she nearly got killed, then I felt completely disgusted at myself and the intense shame hit me.

"But, this has never happened before and I wonder if it's a normal reaction," Haru theorized and I held up a hand.

"Don't worry about it, it's probably normal after what you went through and us about to have sex didn't help," I stated as I looked away with a bitter frown.

"It's okay because, as you said, we weren't ready for this but maybe we could get past it if we put our minds to it so you want to keep going?" Haru offered and I quickly shook my head.

"No, we really don't want to force it since that'll only end in disaster so let's stop now and take things slow from now on until we're absolutely sure that we're ready to take the next step," I told her with a serious look and Haru appeared to be disappointed.

"But I feel so guilty that I had my release and you didn't," Haru pointed out and I bit my lip.

"Look, just don't worry about it since I'll get over it, now let's get some sleep," I suggested as I turned around since I couldn't bear to look at her anymore, then Haru moved until she tackled me onto the bed and chuckled.

"Hey, don't act so mopey because I like seeing you smile," Haru said and I sighed while I was laying on my side.

"It's not like that, I'm just lost in thought is all," I evaded as I held an expression of self-loathing.

_'What the fuck was I thinking? I didn't even consider her feelings and just went along with it without thinking about how she would feel about this...god, I'm such a disgusting piece of shit that should burn in hell,' _I thought angrily and knew that my father would be so ashamed of me if he was still alive.

"Anyway, I'm going to go wash your shirt so I'll be right back," Haru informed me and I sat up to see her taking my bloody tank-top and getting off the bed.

"You don't have to do that since I can take care of it," I refused as Haru walked toward the bathroom.

"Come on, let me at least do this for you," Haru stated as she headed into the bathroom and I sighed tiredly.

_'Shit, I'm such a fucking moron because why the hell did I assume that she would be mine if I saved her? Jesus, I really do have something broken inside me,' _I thought with a depressed look as I started clenching the sheets until I managed to calm down and moved up to the front of the bed before I pulled the blanket over me while I laid on my side.

After that, Haru came back and laid down next to me while my back was turned and it turned into an awkward silence for a short while until I felt her putting a hand on my back and was glad that it was still warm, but I couldn't help but feel the guilt eating me alive for what just happened and waited until Haru was asleep before I carefully got out of bed and made sure I didn't wake her before going out onto the nearby balcony and resting my arms on the railing while Legosi showed up.

_"Connor, you look like crap so are you okay?" _Legosi asked and flinched when I shot him a glare.

"What do you think?" I hissed angrily and Legosi started looking irritated.

_"Hey, there's no need to snap at me like that so please calm down," _Legosi lectured and I trembled as I bristled with a look of rage.

"I know what you're thinking, that I massacred those muggers and those lions in cold blood while it's wrong...you think I like doing that shit? Where I'm from is a fucked up hellhole that you're forced to sleep with one eye open unless you want to get your throat slit, a place that you'll never feel safe and are afraid for your life daily since one wrong move or the slightest mistake will get you killed and that's if you aren't raped and mutilated first since dying quickly is a goddamn blessing where I'm from.

Don't you fucking dare lecture me when you have no idea what it's like struggling to survive every day for thirteen hellish years of blood, gunfire, explosions, slavery, death, and pure horror while nearly losing your mind and almost eating your own gun out of grief and despair," I spat harshly and Legosi looked horrified to hear that while I went over to a table with a flower pot and sat down on a chair before clutching my head.

_"Oh my god...Connor, I-I had no idea...Connor?"_ Legosi questioned when I didn't respond and I looked up with a broken expression.

"I don't belong here and I was never meant to see all of this...this beauty. It's like a dream, one that never ends. Seeing this...and this world's inhabitants...it's so fucking beautiful while it hurts so goddamn much, Legosi.

You can't ever understand, everything's gone in the world I've lived in after it was all destroyed by a nuclear war and ninety-nine percent of the world's population was wiped out two hundred and thirteen years ago. Don't you get it? It's all gone and I lived in a fucking hole in the ground for 19 years until I lost everything I had ever known and wound up doing terrible things just to survive at the cost of so much," I whimpered while I gestured at the city around us and took one of the flowers before holding it as tears welled up and ran down my cheeks.

After that, I just completely broke down and started sobbing brokenly as I held the flower and couldn't stop as I let out 13 years of pain and trauma that had been bottled up for so long, just as I felt something cool rest on my shoulder and looked to see Legosi gently resting a hand on it while sending me a sympathetic expression and that just made me feel even worse as I just kept crying for what felt like forever until I managed to calm down and went to bed while Legosi let me have some space until I had another nightmare when I fell asleep.

* * *

_I looked through the scope of my sniper rifle and scanned the DC area while gunfire and explosions raged on around us until I spotted an Enclave vertibird hovering a good distance away before it took off back to wherever it came from since the main base and the carrier had long been destroyed so I had assumed that it flew back to one of the remaining outposts that were still left in DC until one of the Brotherhood of Steel members tapped me on the shoulder to signal that it was time to return to an underground outpost that had been set up recently._

_"Alright, let's move out," I ordered as we got up and moved through the ruins of DC while avoiding any irradiated areas or Super Mutant camps._

_As we moved through the destroyed streets of DC, I thought about how the Enclave was now down to a bunch of remnants and it was only a matter of time until they were wiped out completely, then my unit and I headed down into a metro station and traversed through the tunnels until we arrived at a metal door and I banged my fist on it before the viewer slid open and one of the paladins aimed her laser rifle through it just in case._

_"Knight Connor Monroe of unit 237," I announced and the viewer slid shut before the door unlocked and opened, then I went in with my unit following me before I pet the dogs that were with the two paladins while they were watching the door._

_I clicked my tongue and Dogmeat followed me before I signed in my name and unit number at the senior officer's desk that was next to the door, just as I continued walking and looked around while I could see some civilians looking dirty and wearing ragged clothes as one kid had a fake wooden gun and aimed at me while mimicking gunshots until I faked getting shot and continued on._

_ I kept moving while seeing one civilian eating canned food and two others watching a fire that was in a destroyed TV while they were huddled up in a tattered blanket and sounds of people coughing and sobbing hopelessly rang out as everyone was looking filthy from sweat and dirt, then I headed over to a wall and sat down with Dogmeat laying down right next to me as I scratched him behind the ears and he whined happily while I stored my rifle in my Pipboy and saw a civilian searching the floor and snatched a rat by the tail before taking off with it._

_I sighed tiredly as I fed Dogmeat some pieces of meat and took out the picture of me and my Dad that had been taken on my tenth birthday after I tried out my new BB gun, then I started wondering when did everything go so wrong until Dogmeat perked up and started growling at where the front door was before I tensed up since him growling usually means that danger was nearby._

_"What is it, boy?" I asked just before screams from civilians started happening at the front door._

_"Contact, we have contact!" a paladin alerted before gunfire and laser fire started breaking out while I stored my picture in the Pipboy until I took out my assault rifle and started scrambling to my feet as I ran to where the fighting was breaking out with Dogmeat right behind me._

_I could see that Enclave soldiers had broken into the bunker and were massacring everyone in sight, BOS members and civilians alike as I came to a stop and killed an Enclave soldier with a shot to the head and was forced into cover before I let out a sharp whistle and Dogmeat charged at an unarmored Enclave soldier before lunging and tackling him to the ground with his teeth on the man's arm while he was screaming in pain before a shot to the head finished him._

_I moved out of cover and used my VATS to target a few Enclave soldiers before killing them with expertly placed shots as I ran forward and before I knew what happened, an explosion erupted behind me until I was flung to the ground while I hit my head onto the pavement badly and everything became woozy before I looked up with the sounds of screaming and gunfire echoing everywhere as I witnessed kids and their families being executed in cold blood as the visors of the armored Enclave soldiers glowed while they were surrounded by the darkness and the nightmarish sight would always stay with me for the rest of my life._

* * *

I had jerked awake and saw that it was morning before I got dressed just as Haru woke up and put my uniform shirt on, then we left the love hotel and walked back to school while things were quiet between us until a certain amount of time later.

"Talk about a beautiful day, am I right?" Haru asked and I nodded as I looked at her.

"Yeah," I agreed quietly and Haru sighed.

"Listen, I want to tell you something important...thank you for saving me," Haru told me and I smiled slightly.

"It's no problem," I stated and looked away from her.

"Oh, and you mumble in your sleep so I'm guessing you had a bad dream? I don't blame you after what happened last night," Haru said and I grimaced at the thought of talking in my sleep.

"Crap, sorry about that," I muttered sheepishly as we arrived at where the festival was and saw the other members of the drama club huddled up and whispering to each other.

I assumed that they were talking about me and Haru since we've been missing yesterday and last night until Bill and Dom spotted us before the other members looked to see me and Haru while the state of us is probably giving them some perverted ideas about what happened last night.

"Hey, sorry that I worried you guys but I'm okay now," I reassured and felt uncomfortable by all the staring as Bill shot me a look that demanded answers until Dom noticed the bandages on my arm.

After that, I was immediately taken to the nurse's office and was now getting my arm and side stitched up while the dorm mother had arrived and was sending me a stern look while crossing her arms.

"Believe me, thirty minutes more and I would've reported you to the faculty, young man," the dorm mother lectured and I sighed once the nurse was done with my stitches and bandaged them up.

"Wait, you haven't actually said anything to the staff yet?" I asked in confusion.

"No, but I didn't do it for you since I couldn't exactly tell them that you were beaten up by some hooligans and then broke the rules by spending the night with a female student," the dorm mother stated and I narrowed my eyes.

"Either way, I still think you should report it since the Shishigumi was responsible for kidnapping that female student and we were forced to spend the night elsewhere," I persisted and the dorm mother gasped with widened eyes.

"You listen to me, don't you ever mention that name to me again, do you understand? A wolf and a rabbit spending together like that, what were you two doing all night?" the dorm mother interrogated and proceeded to go on a rant while I started to tune her out and felt pissed that nobody seemed to care about how Haru nearly died last night.

_'I'll be damned, she's more concerned about how Haru and I spent the night out then she is about the Shishigumi and pretending that they don't exist? No wonder those bastards got away with a lot of bad shit since ignoring them isn't going to make the problem go away, though Gouhin and I crippled them in a way that they'll never recover from so chances are they won't be a problem to anyone anymore after most of them were killed,'_ I thought bitterly just as the door to the hallway opened and I looked to see that it was Juno.

"Excuse me, how are you doing, Legosi?" Juno asked and the dorm mother turned around to look at her.

"Oh, hello there, are you two friends?" the dorm mother questioned curiously and Juno nodded.

"Yes, just checking in so could we please have some privacy?" Juno suggested and the dorm mother appeared to understand as she left the nurse's office.

"Hey, thanks for coming, Juno-san, and I just want to say sorry for all the ruckus before the big night," I stated sheepishly and Juno smiled.

"It's okay because I knew the whole time you were coming back, Legosi-kun," Juno said and my eyes widened at the affectionate suffix at the end of Legosi's name.

"Oh, you did?" I inquired in surprise and Juno walked over until she stood next to the bed.

"That's right, I understand more than anyone in the club since I know just how strong wolves can be," Juno stated as she sat on the bed and moved closer, causing me to scoot back since I was uncomfortable by what was happening.

"Oh, yeah...I see," I stuttered slightly as I smiled awkwardly and Juno seemed to look disappointed by watching me move away from her.

"Well, I heard that you were a hero and saved a rabbit from the Shishigumi, right? I knew that you were a kind person," Juno complimented and I didn't know how to feel about that.

"Um, I'm just someone who did the right thing so calling me a hero is kinda a bit much so I'm going to get some rest...thank you for checking up on me so I'll see you at the festival, Juno-san," I told her and Juno looked hurt for some reason before she got off the bed and left the nurse's office while I laid down and thought about what would happen next.

* * *

After that, I had gotten enough rest and continued the rest of the day going to class until it had become dark and I was in a tent with the other members of the drama club while we were at the festival, then I picked up a box and started taking it to storage before Kai walked over.

"Legosi, after you put that box away, you can just go back to campus," Kai told me and I looked at him.

"Look, I know you're concerned but I'm not crippled so as long as I don't pick up and carry anything too heavy, then I shouldn't be at risk of tearing open my stitches," I reassured and Kai huffed.

"Even so, you won't be able to work the lights for a while," Kai pointed out and I sighed.

"Kai, I'll be fine so quit acting like I'm some broken little pup," I said irritably.

"Listen, it's a busy time right now and all of us in the art department just don't want any problems happening again, alright?" Kai lectured while I groaned quietly in exasperation.

"Hey, I don't know what you're going on about, but would you stop being such an old nanny and getting on my case?" I retorted with a sweatdrop and Sanou came over.

"Legosi, he's just worried since Louis disappeared and we had to make an awful lot of last-minute changes," Sanou notified me and I was surprised to hear that.

"Louis-senpai is missing?" I questioned and Sanou nodded.

"Yeah, we haven't been able to contact him at all and this is so unlike him, that's for sure," Sanou explained before he and Kai walked away while my blood ran cold at the thought of how something bad might've happened after the nasty fight we got into.

_'Shit, I really hope that I didn't push him into doing something stupid...fuck, this is all my fault and I need to find him,' _ I thought with a guilty expression as I put the box down and someone entered the tent before I looked and my eyes widened at seeing Juno wearing a red dress and makeup while the others gasped in astonishment.

"Hello, I had them change my makeup and costume just a touch, especially since Louis-senpai isn't with us right now and we need to do whatever it takes to make this performance the best that it can be so let's go out and give it our all!" Juno encouraged and everyone started agreeing with each other while I couldn't help but see how beautiful Juno was right now.

_"Connor, I feel like things are changing while some say it's good and others say it's bad...but all I know is how devoted you are with Haru-san," _Legosi commented thoughtfully and I frowned as I walked over to Juno and bowed my head.

"I wish you good luck," I told her before I exited the tent and started heading to the meteor so that I could meet up with Haru.

_'No matter how much things change around me, I'll continue to be the only thing I know and that's myself as long as you're with me, Haru,'_ I thought as I arrived at the meteor and didn't see her anywhere, then I started feeling depressed that she wasn't going to hear what I have to confess but I didn't give up hope since had to be around here somewhere.

I started searching for Haru as the performance started with a crowd forming at the front of the stage and I looked around while trying to find Haru, then I felt frustrated that I couldn't find her but then a scary thought hit me and I started feeling uneasy.

_'Shit, I hope she didn't get kidnapped again so she's got to be around here somewhere...Haru, I don't ever want to be alone again,' _I thought as I moved through the crowd and picked up her scent, but it was all over the place and muddled by everyone around me until a white-furred hand rose up in front of my face as I leaned down slightly and saw Haru standing right in front of me.

"Hey, your nose must be clogged or something," Haru remarked until we both started looking tense, then I knelt down and took her hand as I stared at her.

"Haru-chan, I-" I started to say and was cut off.

"Wait, let me go first...I...I..." Haru struggled to say as Juno was speaking on a microphone and a spotlight shined on us while people started staring at me and Haru before I looked at the stage in confusion.

After that, Haru gently pulled her hand out of mine and the hurt I felt hit me hard while I tried not to cry and Juno talked about me before urging for me to come up onto the stage, just as Tao suddenly grabbed my hand and yanked me to my feet until I was forced to the stage while protesting, then I was taken onstage and found myself being stared at by the crowd while they whispered to each other about me and I sent an uncomfortable look at Juno.

"Juno-san, nobody told me about this so what the fuck?!" I hissed nervously but Juno didn't respond as she took my hand and held it up before praising me as a hero and how carnivores would always be there to protect herbivores from being killed.

_'No, she's wrong because she has no idea of the horrific shit I did and how frightening a carnivore's instincts really are, something that shouldn't ever be praised but feared,' _I thought uneasily as the crowd started clapping and cheering, then I saw how heartbroken Haru looked and knew that things had gone from bad to worse while Juno looked at me.

"I'm so happy right now and wanted to make this world a better place to live in, something that has been my dream since I was a pup. Oh, let's light a candle together, Legosi-kun," Juno said excitedly as she pulled me off the stage.

"H-Hey, hold on!" I yelped as I was dragged to the meteor and we stood in front of it as Juno let go and I knew what she was doing.

"Juno-san, this is supposed to be for couples who are in love with each other so the others will get the wrong idea, especially after all that," I reasoned frantically as Juno held a candle that was lit and she smiled at me.

"They're not getting the wrong idea since the true strength of a carnivore simply can't be recognized in the darkness so you should understand that no matter how much we continue to fight in the darkness, it's only going to become more of a burden on you and they're going to be afraid of you or hate you while it's your own strength that will bring you down.

Listen, I refuse to see you like that so let's be in the light together," Juno pleaded and I knew that she wasn't going to take the hint, so I had no choice but to do the hard thing by telling her that I wasn't in love with her as I sighed and cleared my throat.

"Juno-san, I know that you have a crush on me and it's flattering...but I just don't feel the same way and already fell in love with someone else so please understand that I don't have any feelings for you," I admitted hesitantly and Juno looked hurt by what I just said.

"It's that Haru girl, isn't it? What is it about her that makes her so special? A rabbit and a wolf getting together is just too weird so why her?" Juno questioned bitterly and I rubbed the back of my neck tiredly.

"Don't get me wrong, we might've gotten together if the circumstances were different but I already fell in love with Haru-chan long before I met you so I'm sorry that you have to hear this, but it wouldn't be right to keep stringing you along like this so the best thing to do is tell you.

Listen, I'm really sorry you had to hear this, but I'm hoping that we can stay as friends so I need to go and I really thought your performance was beautiful," I confessed before I rested a hand on her shoulder with a soft solemn smile and turned around to go find Haru.

I tracked Haru down by her scent and kept calling for her until I found her walking up a bunch of steps and let out a sigh of relief as she stopped walking up the stairs.

"Thank god...Haru-chan, it's dangerous to walk alone at night so how about I walk with you to the station," I offered and noticed that something was wrong when her body language started showing that she was really pissed about something before she looked back to glare at me.

"What the hell are you doing here and shouldn't you be with that other girl?! You heard everyone cheering for you two so it makes sense that you and she would be the perfect couple!" Haru shouted harshly and I cringed before I looked away.

"About that, I let her down gently since it wouldn't be right to have her keep thinking that I had feelings for her when I don't," I admitted and Haru huffed.

"Ugh, this is so stupid so just leave me alone!" Haru spat angrily as she looked away and headed up the stairs before I started following her.

"Listen, she's just a member of the drama club and while we're both gray wolves and barely have anything in common, I'm fine with being friends with her...I'm not going to lie, I'm a dark person dealing with some dark issues so it doesn't matter if I'm in the darkness or the light, I'll always continue to worry.

If I'll always worry, then I'd rather it be about things that would have to do with you, Haru-chan. Don't you see, it's more important to me that I focus on that," I explained and Haru stopped until I did as well.

"Yeah, but...ever since you got involved with me, you were almost killed and I've been in so much girl drama so the other night at the hotel, didn't I traumatize you there as well?" Haru questioned in concern and I blushed as I looked away bashfully with a shy smile.

"Well, I didn't see it as traumatizing since it was a very special moment between us, but it was clear that we just weren't ready for that yet," I stated and Haru groaned as she ran her hand down her face.

"Ugh, that's exactly why it was a horrible idea in the first place since my body just gave itself over to be eaten by you," Haru said in exasperation and I chuckled.

"I'm not going to lie, that was pretty terrifying but we shouldn't let that one incident get in the way of what we do have," I pointed out and Haru sighed.

"Let's face the facts, you're a wolf and I'm a rabbit so that's never going to change," Haru admitted bitterly while she avoided looking back at me.

"Actually, when you were kidnapped by the Shishigumi, I felt like they had stolen my prey and that had gotten me scared and confused about everything...I have doubts about what drove me to save you but it's pretty clear to me now that I would never eat you, Haru-chan, because-" I stated and was cut off.

"Stop it! How could you be so sure of that?!" Haru shouted before she started running and I chased after her.

"Hey, don't run because I'm about to tell you!" I exclaimed in disbelief as I ran up the stairs after her.

"Face it, there's no guarantee that a wolf won't eat a rabbit in this world, so it only proves that we're not supposed to be together!" Haru argued but I wasn't stopping for any reason.

"There might be no guarantee, but I have a reason and it's a simple one!" I called out as we ran up the stairs and found ourselves at an overlook while Haru rushed over to the railing and stopped while I paused near her.

"And what's that?" Haru asked hesitantly and I sighed as I looked down.

"It's because I love you...there, I said it and it drives me insane knowing that I love you but I wouldn't wish for anything else in the world. Haru-chan, I swear to god I'll get stronger and won't let this broken society or my instincts get in the way, and I want to make you happy so I'll get stronger," I vowed as I walked over and stood next to her before we looked at the city and I noticed that Haru was about to touch my hand, but she pulled her hand back at the last second.

"I'll be waiting," Haru told me softly and it became quiet between us as we did nothing but watched the view for a while.

* * *

After that, time had passed by until summer break had occurred and the other canines of 701 had left to go see their families while Jack went back home for a short time until he came back and we had stayed for two weeks of summer classes and I was sleeping until I stirred slightly by something that smelled good before I gently bit down on it and yells of panic made me let go of whatever it was as I opened my eyes to see that my muzzle was poking out of the curtains and stuck my head out to see Jack laying on the floor while he was gasping with a startled expression.

"Morning...are you okay?" I asked groggily as I moved the curtains aside and noticed how Jack was laying in a position with his upper body upside down while his arms and legs were on the floor completely limp.

"Yeah...let's got to our summer classes," Jack groaned and I sweatdropped before I got out of bed and we headed to the bathroom until we brushed our teeth and washed our faces until I started drying my face off.

"Damn, it's certainly quiet without the guys around," I commented while using half of the towel as a shield to block the spray of water that came from Jack while he was shaking his head to dry himself off.

"I was really sad when I went back home and I had to go home fast so I wouldn't have to deal with all of them leaving in packs. Hey, you could try going home too, if just for a little while since I'm pretty sure your grandpa is lonely without you," Jack told me and I froze at that since it wasn't a good idea and I had no idea where Legosi's grandfather lived due to Legosi not saying much about his grandfather.

"Well, he'll probably be upset to see me and today's Friday so I should get myself an egg sandwich," I evaded as I finished drying myself off.

"Yeah, he'll be upset because he's lonely and I hate to embarrass you, but your underwear is showing a little," Jack notified me and I pulled my shorts up until we left the bathroom and got dressed in our summer uniforms before taking our backpacks and heading to class.

As we were walking down the hall, I noticed Jack acting strange by gritting his teeth and gripping his tail so I decided not to ask since I didn't want to have to deal with another headache and the last time he acted this odd was when he found the porn mag so it was better that I didn't find out what was going on with him this time until I saw Haru approaching us and I perked up with my tail starting to wag.

"Oh, Haru-chan," I called out to her and she looked surprised to see me.

"Legosi-kun, do you have summer classes?" Haru asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, do you?" I inquired curiously as we passed each other.

"Yep, since I went back home early so I'll see you later," Haru said and I waved at her.

"Yeah, you too," I agreed and she was gone while Jack looked completely stunned before he grabbed my arm.

"Is she the one?!" Jack exclaimed in shock and I rolled my eyes.

"Oh god, what is it now?" I groaned in exasperation and Jack started sputtering.

"She's a rabbit and why are you calling her chan?! You're like a pervy old man!" Jack cried out in disbelief and I sighed.

"Jack, you're being very rude right now so could you please quit it?" I suggested irritably and he wouldn't take the hint.

"Argh, you know what, I didn't want to ask you this but I will so what happened to you?!" Jack interrogated and I sweatdropped since he was being a little annoying, so I decided to ignore him as we went to class.

Pretty soon, we were done with class and were now walking outside as I discovered that it had gotten a little colder and Jack seemed to notice as well.

"Huh, it kind of feels a bit colder now so, Legosi, what happened to you this summer? You can tell me," Jack pressed and I looked up with a thoughtful expression.

"Well, let's see, I didn't get to eat any watermelon so why don't we go get some? Come on, let's go," I encouraged as I was walking fully up-right now and looking at Jack with a warm smile before I walked ahead.

"H-Hey!" Jack stuttered and I looked back with the same happy expression.

"L-Look, I'll go with you but slow down a little since I have short legs!" Jack complained as I chuckled lightly during our walk to the store.

After that, most of the day had passed by and I was told to look for Riz since he hasn't shown up for a short time, then I managed to find him walking down a hallway and perked up until he spotted me.

"There you are, everyone's been looking for you so come on," I told him and we started heading back to the drama club until I noticed something about Riz and looked back to see him smiling for some odd reason.

"Hey, what the hell's got you smiling all of a sudden?" I asked in confusion and Riz shrugged.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Riz responded as the large bear kept smiling and we continued walking.

I didn't know why, but something about Riz was making me feel uneasy and I made sure he didn't see my wary expression since my gut feeling was telling me that he was dangerous and my gut was always right so I decided to keep an eye on him for now and figure out why Riz was making me unsettled.

* * *

A/N Well, Connor is looking lighter than before since he's no longer in any Wasteland danger and that breakdown helped him heal more from his trauma but talk about ominous at the end of this chapter and if you read the manga, then you know full well that Connor has a right to be wary of Riz since his Wastelander perception can tell that something's off about Riz but Connor doesn't know why and that's what has him on edge.

Anyway, the first arc is done and now it's time for the second one so be prepared since a big surprise is coming at the end of the second one and it'll be something you won't expect so get ready for what happens.

So, let me know what you think of the events in this chapter and stay tuned.


	14. Chapter 13

It had been two months since the meteor festival and things went on as normal, though Louis was still missing while Haru and I had been taking our relationship slow by either texting or meeting in different areas of the school even if I didn't care how people saw us, but Haru wasn't exactly eager with us coming out and announcing our status as a couple so I decided to respect her choice to keep it quiet for now until she was ready.

Now, I had texted to Haru about us seeing each other and we met at the west stairway on the third floor, then Haru proceeded to talk about how her day was going so far while I was leaning against a wall with my arms crossed as Haru was sitting on the stairs.

"So, on my way here, I bumped into this African elephant and was knocked down onto the floor while I could actually hear the tremors from his stomping, like this entire building is falling apart so I can't imagine how rough it's been for the mouse family," Haru explained while I was looking thoughtful and sent her an expression of acknowledgment.

"Well, I'm glad to see that you're alright and this school has passages near the ceiling for mice," I commented and Haru looked surprised to hear that.

"Huh? Really...I guess I would appear big in the eyes of a mouse," Haru remarked before she chuckled and I moved away from the wall until leaning down while my tail started wagging.

"Hey, I just want to ask, why do we always meet here? No one really uses these stairs so is that why?" I questioned curiously.

"Yes," Haru responded and I blinked at that.

"Really?" I wondered in confusion and Haru nodded.

"Hmm, well, the thing about small animals is that rumors spread really fast and stay around for a long time," Haru said and I stiffened up at the thought of everyone in school knowing about that night in the love hotel.

"Wait, everyone knows about us...sleeping together?" I inquired hesitantly and Haru crossed her arms while looking unamused.

"Yeah, I'm a pro when it comes to being a victim of bullying so let me say this; a rumor is like a big ball on a hill so the more scandalous the rumor, the steeper the hill is and once the ball comes rolling down, it becomes an unstoppable force," Haru explained and I was worried that the other students were being nastier to her than usual.

"Are you being bullied because you slept with me, a wolf?" I asked in concern and Haru shrugged.

"I've always been bullied and it's a bit worse than usual, but it's nothing I can't handle," Haru stated and I frowned at that.

"Still, I'm a bit worried about you so maybe I can help-" I started to offer when Haru walked over and held my head in her hands as I was cut off.

"Hey, I'm glad that you're looking out for me, but I don't want to make this worse than it already is, so you don't have to worry," Haru reassured and I still felt uncertain about this.

"Are you sure that I'll make it worse? We can always stop the rumors if we come clean about it and if people don't like it, then fuck 'em," I stated and Haru looked thoughtful.

"Hmm...but coming clean about it would be weird because of our relationship, don't you think?" Haru wondered with an uncertain smile and I made a face at that.

_'What the hell is she implying?' _I thought as Haru let go of my face and started beaming.

"We don't have to change our relationship, okay?" Haru told me and I was taken aback by that.

"Wait, we don't?" I questioned in confusion and Haru nodded.

"Nope, I'm enjoying the relationship we have right now, really," Haru stated and I stared at her strangely before I shrugged and leaned in to kiss her, then we enjoyed the kiss for a minute as I cupped her jaw with my hand until we separated and Haru smiled before she walked away while waving at me and I stood up.

_'So, we're not dating?' _I thought and started heading to the bathroom to wash my face while Legosi watched me.

_"Connor, you look highly confused so are you doing alright?" _Legosi asked and I sighed heavily as I looked down and rested my hands in my pockets.

"I don't know, this whole thing is just so complicated and maybe I'm not cut out for romance since all we do is text and talk to each other on occasion, but even that's starting to make me wonder where things are going between us.

I'm also starting to get worried because Haru hasn't been happy lately and it's got me thinking that she must be worried about Louis this entire time, something I've also been worried about since I was beating the shit out of him the last time we encountered each other and now he's been missing for two months.

Ugh, I'm going completely against what I said that night at the meteor festival since I've been looking for Louis after I've found out that he went missing but I haven't found any leads at all...kid, I just want to make everything right so that I can have no regrets and have a proper relationship with Haru but even that feels like a pipe dream right now," I admitted in frustration while keeping my voice down so that the other students in the hallway didn't hear me supposedly talking to myself.

_"I see...well, I'm sure you will figure it out so hang in there, Connor," _Legosi reassured and I smiled at him.

"Thanks, kid," I said as I approached the men's bathroom and opened the door, then I halted and was rendered silent when I saw Louis looking back at me while he was in the bathroom and the air became awkward between us.

"Hey," Louis greeted and walked past me while I was struggling to say something and I snapped out of it before I went after him.

"S-Senpai?" I stuttered in shock and Louis looked at me with a calm smile.

"Long time no see Legosi and before you say anything, I arrived here last night so the Housemother and the teachers already know," Louis explained and I started sputtering before I quickly calmed down and sent him a look of disbelief.

"That's all you can say?! Where the fuck have you been these past two months because everyone thought you were dead!" I exclaimed incredulously.

"Someplace far away and you're heading to the club, right? I'll come with you...so, it's been two months, right? That quite a long time," Louis said and I couldn't help but notice that something was off about him, something dark and it made me feel on edge while we arrived at the club and everyone there was stunned at the sight of him.

"Louis, is that really you?! So, the rumors were true and you did come back! Where have you been?!" Sanou questioned in shock and Louis smiled.

"I'm sorry for making you worry about me so how have things been here?" Louis asked and I was wondering what had happened to him to make him like this.

"Worry doesn't even begin to describe it since we couldn't focus in practice...I'm just so relieved that you're okay and I'll ask questions later but, for now, I'm just glad to have you back," Sanou stated with a relieved sigh and Louis chuckled.

"That's quite alright, Chief, and I want you to accept this," Louis stated as he handed Sanou a slip of paper, then Sanou adjusted his glasses before he looked at what was on it and his eyes widened in shock.

"Louis, this is..." Sanou trailed off and Louis smiled solemnly.

"I came here to give this to you and I just wanted to say that I'm grateful for the time we had together," Louis said while Sanou looked up at him.

"Y-You're quitting, why?! The club can't go on without you-" Sanou started to protest while my eyes widened at what I had heard, just before Louis looked at the stage with an expression of nostalgia.

"Oh, the stage...now that takes me back. I once stood on that stage with the artificial light shining down on me and while I stood on that stage, I would draw the audience in with my acting as they waited for my downfall and I can still see them now," Louis muttered before he turned to look at me and I froze at the look in his eyes.

"My, how the tables have turned, Legosi, so do your best to struggle in the shallow light since I'm going to fight my battles differently," Louis added before he turned around and left the club while ignoring the others calling for him, then I couldn't help but feel wary since the look he gave me was almost the same empty and dead look I had once back in the Wasteland.

_'Louis, what the fuck happened to you?' _I thought uneasily and felt highly concerned for the kid since no one should ever have that expression on their face.

* * *

After that, a week had passed by and I was mostly lost in thought with a troubled look while it caught the attention of my roommates and Haru, but I reassured them that I was okay since I wasn't eager with sharing my thoughts on what was bothering me so they reluctantly let it go and now I was staring at a deer and his girlfriend until he spotted me and started looking unsettled.

"Hey, the hell is your problem?! Quit staring at me!" the deer retorted nervously and it snapped me out of it before I bowed my head quickly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," I said while I felt embarrassed for acting so rudely at him.

"J-Just stop staring at me, you creepy bastard!" the deer retorted before he and his girlfriend walked away and Legosi started looking at me in concern.

_"Connor, what's going on? You've been acting quieter than usual so is it about Louis-senpai?"_ Legosi asked and I sighed as I continued my walk to the wolf room since today was territory day.

"Yeah, I can't help but keep thinking about what he said to me before he left...just, what did he mean by that? I've never seen him act like that before and the look in his eyes, it's starting to scare me since that look is similar to the one I had before back in the Wasteland," I stated and Legosi frowned thoughtfully.

_"Yeah, I can see what you mean and I hope that he's not dropping out of school so maybe he got a job or something," _Legosi said and I shrugged with a small hum.

"Maybe, though I just need to continue things as normal since everyone is starting to get suspicious of me being quieter than usual," I muttered as I kept walking and paused when I saw Juno ahead of me.

"Hey, Juno-san, you're going to the wolf room since today's territory day, right?" I greeted and Juno stiffened up before she looked back and the glare she shot at me made me start rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly as the air became tense between us.

"S-So what?!" Juno snapped as she looked away and I sighed in exasperation.

"Well, I'm also going there so why don't we head there together," I offered before we walked down the stairs and I felt uncomfortable at the awkward silence that was between us so I decided to start a conversation and hope that it didn't end up at what happened between us two months ago.

"So, I wanted to talk to you about what happened with Louis-senpai last week, and what are your thoughts about it? In fact, do you know what's going on with him?" I questioned as we arrived at the door to the wolf room and flinched when Juno spun around with an expression of distress.

"Stop playing so hard to get and break my heart any more than you already have! Ever since I confessed to you at the meteor festival, I can't look at you in the eye anymore...I was so desperate and embarrassed back then but you...refused and just left me standing there in front of the meteor.

What I want is for you to think about how I felt when you glossed over my confession," Juno retorted, causing a few students to start staring at us and I sweated a little at how pissed Juno was.

_'Shit, I wasn't trying to gloss over anything since I meant what I said, but Juno still won't let that go and now I don't think this could get any more awkward,' _I thought and froze when Juno started sniffling with her eyes welling up.

"Now I understand, my love for you...has been lost to your hatred of your own species and it's why you're in love with that rabbit girl, isn't it? Even though I've lost, I'm not done yet so that's why I want you to reject me right here, right now!" Juno shouted before she broke down crying and I just stood there not knowing what to do while we were being stared at by other students.

_'Oh fuck...I can't stand seeing a woman cry so I need to fix this,' _I thought uncomfortably as I took out a handkerchief from my pocket and held it out for Juno to take.

"H-Hey, please don't cry and I know that I have no right to say this, but we do have one thing in common...where we're both pretty stubborn but in a good way and could you please calm down so that we could talk this over?" I asked hesitantly and Juno was still in hysterics.

"I can't calm down or talk to you!" Juno yelled through her sobs and I fidgeted a little with a cringe as I tried to figure out a way to calm her down until I looked at the door to the wolf room and an idea came to me.

"Look, why don't we talk in the wolf room and figure out a way to talk about this since people are staring at us," I suggested and Juno managed to calm down enough to nod at me before I opened the door and walked inside with her, only I wasn't expecting to see the wolves inside looking completely cheerful while chatting and laughing happily.

_'What the hell...everyone in here is usually not this happy or active during territory time so what's got them in such a good mood?' _I thought with a look of complete confusion until one of the wolves saw us and perked up with a beaming grin.

"Oh, it's Juno!" the wolf exclaimed excitingly before he and the other wolves' tails started wagging quickly as they started approaching us.

"Huh?" Juno wondered in confusion as the wolf rested his arm on the shoulders of another wolf with glasses.

"Hey, I wanted to talk to you and say good work at the festival! I don't know much about the details, but you gave a speech about a male wolf who saved an herbivore's life, right? That's so fucking awesome and we're completely moved by it!" the wolf cheered happily while Juno was taken aback by all the positive attention.

"M-Moved? What do you mean by that?" Juno questioned and the crowd of wolves looked at each other before proceeding to explain how herbivores weren't as hostile to wolves as before and that a fan club had formed for Juno before the lead wolf rested a hand on her shoulder and thanked her until Juno blushed by all the praise.

"I had no idea...I'm so glad to hear that," Juno said shyly and I couldn't help but smile warmly at how bashful she was until Juno looked at me.

"Legosi-senpai, you said that we're similar in how we're both stubborn, right? I'll admit that I'm stubborn, but you have a terrible darkness inside you that you're struggling with and I hope that you will find a way to forgive yourself for whatever is tragically haunting you," Juno told me as she touched my arm in a kind gesture and I frowned at that while Juno continued to chat with the other wolves and I became lost in thought.

_'Huh, looks like I'm the rebel and she's justice but at least there aren't any herbivores in here right now...forgive myself, how will I ever be able to do that when it's easier said than done?'_ I thought as I went over to a bench and sat down to look up at the artificial moon.

* * *

As the days passed by after that, I've been hearing a sound that was similar to a hiss that Night Stalkers make and I had been getting the feeling that something was watching me, which was making me paranoid to the point that I might be hunted by someone or something and I really didn't like it while I was continuing the day as normal.

_'Hmm, I suppose that this isn't so bad since, now that I think about it, I've been feeling happier and more outgoing ever since I got into a relationship with Haru but I think this will be the last time I try to think of ways to convince Louis to come back._

_Well, if what he's doing is so important that he needs to drop out of school to do it, then it's his choice and it's none of my business since I don't have a right to stop him. This school is changing along with the carnivores in it but if there's anything I'm confident about, it's being reluctant to change my beliefs since Juno has the entire school wrapped around her finger, Louis had left and gone to God knows where, and my desire is to live a peaceful life where I don't have to be afraid for my life daily._

_Huh, at least my goal is simple but if there's one thing I do know, it's that trouble always seems to find me,'_ I thought once I was done taking out the trash and was about to head to the carnivore dorms when I heard the rattling sound again and I scowled as I looked around to locate where it was coming from.

"Okay, this is seriously starting to piss me off," I muttered irritably as Legosi was also looking around to find out where the noise was coming from.

_"Connor, I'm really not liking this and it is giving me a bad feeling," _Legosi admitted uneasily and I started walking back to the dorms a little faster until I made it to room 701 and changed into casual clothes since it was now the weekend, but the sound persisted as I watched Durham and Miguno having a wrestling match with the others cheering them on until I had enough and cleared my throat.

"Hey, is there something in this room?" I questioned and it got the others' attention.

"Huh?" the others wondered in confusion as they looked at me.

"Seriously, you don't hear that? Something is definitely here, probably been here for days," I clarified before the others stared at me weirdly.

"Well, none of us hear anything so are you sure something is here?" Durham asked and I made a face at how skeptical he sounded.

"I'm not screwing around, something is here and I can hear it...it's a rattling sound and it's getting louder while I'm getting the feeling that something is watching me so it's annoying the hell out of me," I stated irritably and the others started looking nervous while Durham and Jack whispered to each other until Jack regained his attention on me.

"L-Legosi, maybe you should get ahold of yourself since you're probably hearing things because you're stressed and sleep-deprived, though I don't know about the whole being watched thing," Jack reasoned carefully as he walked over and squished my cheeks together with his hands before Collot perked up suddenly.

"Oh, I heard a story about this school and it sounds like Legosi's story," Collot spoke and Jack looked back at him with an unamused expression.

"Seriously, a ghost story?" Jack questioned skeptically and Collot nodded as he walked over and sat down on my left until he rested his arm across my shoulders.

"Yeah, it's pretty popular in Cherryton Academy and what I heard is that there's supposed to be a six-eyed ghost in this school that makes a lot of odd sounds," Collot explained and Durham sweatdropped with a deadpanned look.

"Collot, you're a goddamn second-year and you still believe in ghost stories? That's just fucking embarrassing," Durham stated dryly and Collot started arguing with him while I pictured the supposed ghost and scrunched up my face at the mental image.

_'A ghost in Cherryton...well, I faced creatures in the Sierra Madre known as ghost people and they were fast and nasty bastards, though actual ghosts don't surprise me since I'm conversing with one daily and I encountered aliens back in the wastes so anything is possible,'_ I thought just before I felt an unknown presence to my right and instantly reacted by swinging at it with a fist, smashing a hole into the wall and startling the others as I leered at the hole and sighed in exasperation.

"Aw crap, I broke the wall...sorry about that guys, I'll get the toolbox and fix this right after I'm done with the laundry," I grumbled as I saw most of the canines in Collot's arms and gripping onto him with looks of terror while the sheepdog was completely nervous as they were standing as far away from me as possible.

I groaned as I stood up from my bed and rubbed the back of my neck while I left the room, feeling pretty embarrassed that I scared the hell out of the others and inwardly chastised myself for reacting in such a manner as I eventually arrived at the laundry room and placed the dirty clothes into one of the washers before starting it up and sighed until my eyes hardened at hearing the noise again.

"Come out, we're all alone now and I want to see the person who's been following me...how long have you been stalking me? Two weeks, maybe three? You're not really a ghost, just someone who's good at staying hidden but the people in this school have probably caught a glimpse of you more than a couple of times, hence the ghost story and rumors," I stated as I started walking around with my hands in my pockets and keeping my eyes and ears open until a long shape dropped down from the ceiling and I saw that it was a large rattlesnake while it smiled at me in amusement.

"Smart little boy, so I suppose that the time has come for me to reveal myself to you since your little naughty activities have gotten my attention. I've been watching you ever since you fought that tiger on-stage, how vicious you were outside of school, and how you chose a petite little rabbit over a female of your species.

Oh, how your tail wagged back then...you are a very dangerous wolf, a shameless lolicon, and you are the craziest psycho in this entire school who seemingly talks to himself so I have kept my eye on you or rather my six eyes.

There is nothing I don't know about you so if you think you're going to live the rest of your school life in peace, then you're in for a terrible surprise," the snake spoke with a female voice as she rose up and stared down at me while I returned eye-contact with a stoic gaze.

"So, you're the one who's been following me and why don't you tell me who you are while I get the laundry out," I said just as the laundry was done and I made sure to keep my eyes on this unknown individual as I took the laundry out and lifted the basket before I could see the snake looking away while coiling slightly.

"Well, I'm waiting so how about you identify yourself, or do you want to keep me in suspense?" I suggested as I stared at the snake and she picked up a hat that was on the floor.

"How rude of me, I seemed to have dropped my hat when I fell onto the floor and it has been many years since I approached a student in this fashion so allow me to introduce myself. I am the one and only security guard in this school, Rokume," Rokume introduced and I had no idea that this school had a security guard but it made sense.

"I didn't know Cherryton had a security guard," I commented as Rokume smirked at how I wasn't showing any fear.

"That's the point so let me tell you something that you might find interesting...during the drama club's spring performance, I was hiding on the ceiling and keeping an eye out for suspicious behavior when the second day of the performance came around and the audience, myself included, were drawn in by the devilish radiance of a certain actor.

His act left me speechless, your act that is," Rokume told me and I grimaced at the reminder of losing my temper and beating the shit out of Bill on-stage.

"Yeah, I remember and it's not one of my proudest moments," I admitted and noticed Rokume slithering around me while she chuckled.

"I know, that dwarf rabbit was the cause of your insane actions and that's also why you were unhinged during the summer, isn't it? Those scars on your arm resemble feline teeth marks and to think that someone like you would fall in love with such a petite and immoral female so you must be just as bad as she is," Rokume pointed out and I was tense that she was able to figure me out so quickly.

_'Lady, you have no idea just how terrible I can be,' _I thought darkly and saw that Rokume had surrounded me until I noticed that there was nowhere to run unless I wanted to get restrained.

"The more I learned about you, the more intrigued I became so I wish to see your capabilities once more for the school," Rokume added and I studied her for any signs of wanting to ambush and kill me, but my perception could see that she was mostly playful and interested in me so I concluded that she wasn't a threat and I could easily take her on if she does turn out to be a threat.

"For the school?" I questioned and Rokume nodded.

"Correct, an animal of your caliber shouldn't be hiding from the public since it's a waste of potential," Rokume stated as she started moving and before I knew what was happening, she started restraining me in her coils with her body wrapped around my torso, arms, and I blushed when her tail went between my legs but I tried to ignore how kinky this was and started thinking about anything else so that I didn't get aroused by this.

"But you're the security guard, Rokume-san, so why do you hide from the public? The students in this school only know you as a ghost story," I pointed out in confusion and Rokume sighed solemnly.

"I doubt anyone could ever understand how I feel because I wasn't always a security guard...before that, I was just an ordinary rattlesnake and for my entire life, I've been forced to live with the shame of having no arms or legs so only by hiding myself can I endure living with this shame.

I rattle my tail whenever I see a student causing trouble and my job requires me to hide and act as a whistle, so I'm jealous of you. Tell me young wolf, those beautiful legs of yours, how strong are you with them?" Rokume asked and I couldn't help but smirk at the position we were in as I grinned at her.

"You know, I never knew that snakes had it so rough but I don't see your appearance as something to be ashamed of...we're all different in our own way and it's what makes us special, though if anyone were to come in here right now, they would most likely get the wrong idea about the situation," I pointed out slyly and Rokume froze before she let go suddenly and I landed onto my feet.

"Forgive me, I-I'll be excusing myself!" Rokume sputtered with a flustered look before she slithered out of the room fast and I chased after her, eager to see where she would take me since I knew that she was leading me somewhere.

I kept chasing after Rokume through the halls of the school and nearly crashed into someone, but I didn't let it deter me as I kept moving until I caught up with Rokume and my eyes widened when I saw the familiar broken double doors that led to where Tem was murdered.

"I assume you remember the terrible tragedy where your alpaca friend was murdered? Even though I'm a security guard, I failed to capture the one responsible for his death so the killer should still be in this school," Rokume said as I walked forward and I saw a bundle of flowers that looked fresh before I knelt down and examined them.

"These flowers weren't here before and it looks like they were placed here recently," I muttered thoughtfully until I recalled Louis and wondered if he left them here.

"Forgive me, as a security guard and a fan of yours, I want an encore in this school," Rokume admitted and I realized what she wanted me to do.

"So, you're telling me to find the killer, right?" I asked while I picked up the bundle of flowers and held it as I frowned.

"I wouldn't blame you for hesitating since this must be the first time you've been told to do something that will be dangerous," Rokume stated and I stood up before shaking my head.

"No, I once told myself that I was done running and an upperclassman said that I should take responsibility for my own strength so I don't want his apology to be for nothing and I'll do it because the police don't seem to give a shit," I agreed with a serious expression and Rokume smiled at that before we started walking away from the former crime scene while I looked back at it.

_'Tem, I swear to you that I'll find the one who killed you, no matter how long it takes,' _I thought as we walked away from where Tem had been killed and I hoped that I would find the killer and bring him to justice so that Tem's spirit would finally find peace and move on.

* * *

A/N Hello everyone and welcome to arc two of Beast Within so thanks for your patience and get ready because, as I said before, there will be a twist at the end of this arc and it will be something that you won't be expecting.

So, Connor had met Rokume and I thought it would be funny for him to use his lady killer perk to get the rattlesnake to drop her guard and be more than embarrassed by what he implied would happen if someone were to walk in and see a large female snake restraining a male wolf in a more than friendly position, something that would most likely give him or her the wrong idea and make things super awkward.

Well, let me know what you think about this chapter and stay tuned.


	15. Chapter 14

"So, I'm supposed to find the killer...well, what I've discovered so far is that the victim was an alpaca and that he was a member of the drama club, so do you have any info that could help me, Rokume-san?" I asked as I was currently sitting on a bunch of stairs while Rokume was coiled around me.

"If I did, I wouldn't tell you," Rokume stated and I frowned at her disapprovingly.

"That's not a smart idea since I need all the information I can get to narrow down suspects or I'll just be finding myself walking in this blind and I can't afford that," I said firmly and Rokume sighed.

"I understand that this decision is irresponsible and I apologize for it, but I have my limits and I don't want you to be accusing the wrong person because of bad information. Before you say anything, the only thing I can give you is moral support since things can get very complicated when personal feelings are involved.

You have what it takes to solve the murder on your own and I can see a great darkness in you so let me give you some advice, use that darkness and your vicious body to the best of your abilities to think...the answer lies within you," Rokume told me before she slithered away and I was left to my thoughts after that.

As time passed by, I continued investigating while also pondering what Rokume said and that's when I figured it out while I was in the male dressing room with the other members of the drama club before I gazed back and watched the male carnivores and herbivores joking and chatting about what they were going to do this weekend as my eyes narrowed.

_'I see, the killer is no different than Legosi because he is the same as any other carnivore, a person who laughs or gets angry just like anyone else,' _I thought as I studied the carnivores in the room, and the thought of a murderer standing amongst us made me tense so I decided to say something to test the killer's reaction.

"Meat," I muttered and everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at me.

"Legosi, what the hell did you just say?" Bill questioned and I put up a sheepish front as I rubbed the back of my head.

"Sorry, just thinking out loud and I'm a little tired today," I lied and Bill sent me an odd look before he shook his head and turned away.

"I swear, you get more stranger the longer I know you," Bill said as he went to leave the dressing room before I returned my attention to Legosi's locker while the gray wolf hovered next to me and appeared confused by what I was doing.

"You know, there are times that I'm often reminded of the fact that Tem is dead and Tem talked to a few carnivores in this club, right?" I asked stoically and that caused Bill to quickly turn around with an outraged expression while the others looked tense.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! You bring up Tem's death all of a sudden and now you think one of us killed him?! Have you completely lost it?!" Bill exclaimed incredulously and I looked at him impassively.

"The only reason why I'm bringing it up is that we need to remember the fact that there is a murderer walking amongst us," I stated and Bill didn't look happy to hear that.

"That's not the point, so why are you bringing it up now of all times?" Bill demanded and I scowled.

"Because Tem's killer is still out there and the police haven't done shit about it, which pisses me off since the thought of that bastard continuing on with his life after brutally killing someone and the police not giving a shit about it makes me fucking sick," I snapped irritably and Bill laughed amusingly.

"Right, sure, you're good at playing the canine idealist...sorry, but I don't trust anything from a no-good bunny-fucking wolf," Bill insulted and I reacted by grabbing him by the shirt collar and pinning him against the wall as my face held an expression of deadly calm.

"You listen to me very clearly because I'm only going to say this once...I don't care what you say to me since I can take it, but if you ever speak about Haru-chan in such a manner again and I will knock your fucking teeth out before I make you eat them," I threatened coldly with an icy glare and Bill didn't look phased by it.

"Well, looks like our meek wolf finally grew a pair and I'm so scared," Bill mocked and my chest started rumbling from menacing growls that escaped my mouth.

"Fuck you, and don't talk to me about being untrustworthy since you're more distrustful than I am," I growled darkly and Bill chuckled.

"Yeah, don't even think about accusing me of anything because I've got more friends than you do so I'm way more trustworthy than you are," Bill boasted and I sent him an ugly scowl.

"Yeah right, you went to the-" I started to argue and quickly shut up just before Bill started glaring at me.

"Went to what?! Say it, I fucking dare you!" Bill snarled while I was grimacing and chastising myself for nearly revealing that we went to the black market several months ago.

_'Dammit, I need to control my temper before I say something stupid that'll scare the shit out of all the herbivores,' _I thought just before the door to the exit opened and we all looked to see a feminine male Dall sheep enter the dressing room.

"Knock knock, is this the drama club's male dressing room? Oh, were you in the middle of an argument?" the sheep wondered as he entered the dressing room and I let go of Bill as the newcomer approached me.

"Heh, it smells like a gym in here so excuse me, doggie," the sheep told me and something told me that he will annoy the hell out of me as I moved out of the way and the sheep went over to Tem's former locker.

"So, this is locker #2?" the sheep questioned while I was studying him curiously.

_'Tem's locker...it hasn't been used since he died,' _I thought just as the sheep looked at me and gazed at my right arm that had scars on it.

"Those scars on your right arm look painful," the sheep observed and I raised my right arm as I looked at it.

"This? Nah, it doesn't bother me," I reassured with a wave and the sheep smiled.

"How many stitches did you need?" the sheep asked and I stared at him strangely since it was an odd question to be asking someone.

"As I recall, about thirty-five," I replied and the sheep widened his eyes before he whistled impressively.

"Whoa, I couldn't handle that since I had my wisdom teeth pulled out the other day and that made me cry. Well, I'll be leaving now and I'll see you guys later so fight to your heart's content," the sheep said cheerfully after he was done looking through Tem's locker and left the dressing room while everyone was rendered silent by what happened until Bill snapped out of it.

"Wha-who the hell was the pretty boy?! Is he a new member?!" Bill exclaimed at Aoba in disbelief and the eagle shrugged.

"He didn't introduce himself and he called Legosi doggie, so don't look at me," Aoba commented and Bill appeared none-too-happy.

"Well, he's got a shitty attitude so let's teach him a lesson tonight," Bill suggested and Aoba stared at him like he was crazy.

"Um, let's not," Aoba said dryly and I sighed while I pinched the space between my eyes to prevent a headache from happening.

_'Just what we need right now, a new herbivore member causing problems around here...fuck me, this is a really bad time for the carnivores to become agitated and I hope my investigation won't be stalled so I can find the killer,' _I thought in exasperation while I left and headed into the main practice room with the others right behind me until most of us stood or sat next to each other while Sanou was bringing the sheep to the middle of the room.

"So, everyone, I'm guessing the guys have already met him? Well, I wish to introduce a new member to the acting team," Sanou announced while the female members of the drama club started whispering to each other as the sheep cleared his throat.

"Hello, my name is Pina, a Dall sheep and a first-year. So, one of you guys asked me to join this club. Well, I don't know much about how it works around here so I might cause some trouble, but I'm okay as long as we all have fun together and I want us to get along, so I'm pleased to be with you all," Pina stated with a grin and some of the others clapped while Bill raised his hand.

"Chief, why are we getting a new member now of all times? You're not thinking of making him Louis' replacement, are you?" Bill questioned skeptically and I decided to walk away from the others before this got ugly.

"You know he has a good point since that's not going to work," Tao agreed and Sanou started looking out of place while he smiled sheepishly.

"Come on guys, I wasn't going to do that," Sanou reasoned uncomfortably with a sweatdrop as Pina started holding his chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm, isn't this a matter of appearances? Everyone likes the drama club, but it's still tough without the star actor Louis-san, right? The drama club is honestly going to have a hard time without a distinguished handsome male actor...oh, and I'm just going to say how it is.

I'm not trying to offend anyone but day after day, the eyes of carnivores are losing their shine from being consumed by their desires and instincts, which isn't beautiful at all and it's a scientific fact. My only redeeming trait is my looks since I don't have an herbivore's pride nor do I have conviction and while I can't replace Louis-san, I'm popular with the females and that's good enough for me," Pina stated and it pissed off all of the carnivores while they looked like they wanted to strangle him.

"What the hell?! Are you saying that all carnivores are ugly?!" Sheila shouted in outrage while I was far enough away from the others while having a quiet chat with Legosi.

"And there they go, I can just see the carnivores working together by having Pina as their enemy...shit, I sometimes wish that I could get away from all of this but, as experience had once taught me, it's that trouble just seems to find me," I muttered while I had my back turned to the others and Legosi frowned.

_"Well, just try to stay out of the middle of that since you're a third-party and he can call you ugly as much as he wants," _Legosi said and I recalled my human face and body covered in so many scars that it was like I had been quilted back together.

"Yeah, I didn't exactly look pretty before I died after traveling the Wasteland for 13 years," I remarked quietly and was startled when someone clapped their hands on my shoulders, causing me to quickly get ready to defend myself until I saw that Pina was responsible for scaring the crap out of me and I relaxed slightly.

"Everyone knows that the drama club is filled with weirdos! In the spring, one of your members was torn apart, your star actor disappeared, and you've got a brave wolf with battle scars," Pina stated as he grabbed my scarred arm and held it while looking down at it as I was taken off guard.

"Whoa, just wait a damn second!" I protested and Pina got a little too close for comfort as he leaned in to stare into my eyes.

"Where did a quiet guy like you get these scars from? You're definitely dangerous so I sure wouldn't want to make you angry," Pina told me and I started sweating since I was feeling more than uncomfortable.

"Come on, I'm just an ordinary animal who's part of the stage crew and I don't think it's very polite asking someone something that personal!" I exclaimed in disbelief just before someone else grabbed me and was yanked away from Pina until I found myself with the other carnivores.

"Hey, Legosi has always been a carnivore in the drama club!" Bill retorted as he gripped my scarred arm and Tao nodded with a firm glare.

"That's right, he's not your friend because he's one of us so just look at Legosi since he rarely gets this pissed! If he does snap, you'll be in serious trouble!" Tao agreed while I was gritting my teeth and trying hard to keep my temper under control.

_'Son of a bitch, this is fucking bullshit because I didn't ask to be a part of this goddamn feud so why the hell does this always happen to me?!' _I thought incredulously just before Pina yawned and smiled at us.

"Sorry, it seems I'm tired so why don't we continue this tomorrow?" Pina offered before he left the practice room and everyone looked flabbergasted that he just brushed us off so rudely.

* * *

"God, I just want to beat that goat bastard into a fucking pulp and rip him apart to add insult to injury!" Bill snarled while he started crumpling his soda can tightly and I sent him an unamused look while we and the other carnivores were on the roof as it was currently night time.

"Bill, I get that you're pissed and that this is the rooftop but if you say something like that again, then I'm officially gone," I stated stoically and Bill looked at me with a raised brow.

"Dude, you actually came to this carnivore gathering, which you never do so that means you want to confess something, right?" Bill questioned and I frowned at that.

_'That doesn't mean I wanted to come here,' _I thought as I sniffled slightly since my nose was a bit stuffy and I kinda felt like crap so I assumed that I was coming down with something.

From what Legosi had told me before I came here is that there would be a gathering of carnivores sometimes to relax and socialize, but I had never been to one since I didn't see the point in it at the time but the only reason why I'm here is that the large carnivores from the drama club would be here too, so I decided to test their reactions to what I thought about the whole thing to see if anything stood out.

_'Ugh, I hate the atmosphere here since it reminds me of the black market back in the city,'_ I thought in displeasure while I used a handkerchief to wipe my nose that was a little runny and Dolph sighed.

"I know why you're here, Legosi...you think one of us killed Tem," Dolph said and everything became quiet between me and the small circle of male carnivore members of the drama club.

"So, this is about that talk in the dressing room..." Tao trailed off with a grimace as I gazed at the others with no expression on my face.

"Legosi, no one's forgotten about that terrible tragedy since it was one of our friends who was killed and I'm quite frankly offended that you think one of us did it," Dolph stated with a hurt expression and I sighed as I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Listen, I'm not accusing anyone yet since I don't have any proof, but it doesn't change the fact that someone killed Tem and they're still out there so I came here because I wanted to have a good talk with you guys.

The thing that you need to understand is that everyone here is a suspect, even me since I'm a gray wolf and I don't have evidence that one of you didn't kill Tem so that's why I can't take any chances until I'm able to clear each and every one of us for the murder, so we're to remain vigilant until the killer is found and I'm able to clear you all," I said with a serious expression and the others looked surprised.

"Damn, since when did you become such a good speaker, Legosi?" Bill inquired and I shrugged.

"Since I decided to, in your words, finally grow a pair and the police haven't done shit about this so I'm going to solve Tem's murder myself since they don't seem to give a damn," I answered bitterly and Bill appeared satisfied with my response.

"Good point, but you used to be an animal of action, not words, right?" Bill asked and I wondered where he was going with this.

"Yeah, why?" I questioned dubiously while staring at him strangely.

"You slept with that bunny, didn't you? There's only one thing we want to know right now...can large-breed carnivores fuck bunnies?" Bill whispered as he and the others leaned forward in anticipation just before my brain shut down at what he said and struggled to reboot.

_'Um...what?' _I thought dumbly as Legosi looked highly embarrassed to hear Bill's question while I started twitching.

"Like, is it physically possible and does it take effort? I always thought it would be dangerous, like putting a large truck through a garage door," Bill admitted rather bluntly and Tao appeared flustered before he nudged Bill with an elbow.

"Um, Bill, you are making this very awkward," Tao stated and I had enough while I stood up with a tick mark.

_'Why are teenagers, Asian or otherwise, such complete fucking perverts?!'_ I thought in disbelief before turning away from the others.

"Okay, if this is what you want to talk about, then I'm officially leaving," I declared with a scowl as I started to head to the door that led to the stairwell until Bill grabbed my shoulder.

"Easy man, you don't have to get pissed because I'm just curious is all," Bill assured and my face felt hot while I was utterly mortified by what he had said earlier, though I was too embarrassed to say anything and Bill had a look of realization.

"Oh...what, so you didn't fuck?" Bill inquired and I sucked in a breath before turning around and knocking his hand off my shoulder as I glared at him and the others.

"L-Look, why the crap do I have to tell you guys something so personal?! I'm not being a part of this bullshit and it was way more than that! Listen, that night was very special to me and I'll always remember it so just drop it, okay?!" I exclaimed defensively with passionate comical flames right behind me and the others held their hands up in surrender while the other carnivores around us started staring to see what was going on.

"Okay, we didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything, but I do know the reason behind your reserved personality...you say that you're in love with that bunny, but aren't you just glorifying her? Don't you think your feelings for her come from your feelings for herbivores in general?

Tem was ripped apart, Louis-senpai is no longer a part of the drama club...listen, I don't know the full story, but I think your feelings for her are a little too heavy for a high school girl to handle so you need to enjoy love for what it is," Aoba told me and I looked away from him.

"I do enjoy it and I don't take it for granted," I stated quietly and felt a tickle in my nose that built up until I sneezed into my handkerchief.

"Shit, are you okay?" Aoba inquired and I blew my nose before I nodded.

"Yeah, think I'm coming down with something and my nose is all stuffy," I said after I wiped my nose with the handkerchief and took out my phone with my other one.

"You know, this might be the best chance I have to beat Legosi in a fight," Bill commented eagerly while I started texting Haru about meeting with her.

"Bill, don't be an ass," Aoba reproached as I received a message from Haru and walked away from the others before entering the stairwell.

* * *

"So, what's up? You don't normally contact me at night," Haru pointed out while we were sitting on the edge of a walkway.

"Y-Yeah," I said nervously and I didn't know why since things were going well between us.

"What? What's the matter, you big goof?" Haru asked after chuckling at my hesitance.

"Well, nothing really, but what happened to your right hand?" I inquired in concern when I saw a band-aid wrapped around her middle finger.

"Oh, I accidentally cut myself with a knife while I was cooking something. So, I grab the knife like I was in a hurry and...Legosi-kun?" Haru questioned as I took her hand and stared down at her with a soft gaze before I thought about what Aoba said and frowned slightly.

_'What the hell does he know? I'm not glorifying her, I'm genuinely in love with her,' _I thought as I gently moved my thumb across her right hand before Haru reached up to grab my tie and pull me down so that we were eye-level with each other.

"Hey, you're too high up and need to slump down so that I can properly make eye-contact with you," Haru reminded me and I blinked at that.

"Right...so, am I-" I started to ask and was cut off.

"Just stop talking," Haru said and I smirked amusingly.

"Very well," I remarked as I rested my right hand next to her and leaned forward while she rested her hand on my jaw.

We tenderly kissed and took it slow as Haru opened her mouth and I pushed my tongue in until I started exploring, then I closed my eyes and enjoyed the nice moment between us until we were forced to sadly separate so that we could get some air and we let out quiet heavy breathing when I moved slightly to nuzzle her cheek with a pleasant smile until I thought of something and backed away while I started looking less happy.

"Haru-chan, I'm sorry to ask you this but are you still in love with Louis-senpai?" I inquired and Haru looked taken aback by that.

"Wait, why would you say that? You don't know anything about me and Louis, so why?!" Haru interrogated and I cringed at how hurt she looked before I avoided eye-contact with her.

"I'm sorry, it was a stupid question and I guess the reason why I asked is that I don't want you to feel like I took you away from him or anything. Listen, I want to apologize for ruining the mood and I'm just happy knowing that you're still alive so I'm going to go now and I'll see you tomorrow," I said guiltily as I stood up and sent Haru one last look of regret before I walked away with my hands in my pockets.

_"Connor, maybe it wasn't a good idea to ask her that," _Legosi pointed out and I made a face while I felt like hitting my head against a wall for what I said.

"Yeah...god, I'm such a fucking idiot," I muttered as I kept walking and found myself in the middle of campus before I knelt down next to a tree and scowled at nothing in particular.

_'Jesus, the hell was I thinking, asking her that? Dammit, I always seem to make things worse like everything I touch turns to shit around me,' _I thought angrily and sighed while I decided to head back to my dorm room before I get in trouble for being out late.

_"Connor, look out!" _Legosi alerted urgently just before I sensed someone behind me, causing me to roll out of the way as a fist nearly bludgeoned my head.

I quickly stood up and spun around with my fists up in a combat stance, barely seeing my unknown attacker because it was dark but I studied the figure and my perception told me that the attacker was large and well built while being male at the same time until I managed to see that he was an ursid of some kind while I glared at him.

_'Shit, where the fuck did he come from and how the hell did he sneak up from behind me?!' _I thought in alarm while I was tense and ready to fight back.

"Okay, I don't know who the fuck you are, but I'm in a piss-poor mood at the moment so you just picked a fight with the wrong carnivore," I growled before the attacker charged at me with frightening speed.

Thanks to my experience of facing off against large enemies like Super Mutants and Deathclaws, I was able to react accordingly by dodging the strikes that would've badly injured me and retaliated by hitting the more sensitive spots on the attacker's body while he snarled in pain and staggered back as I hopped left and right like a boxer who was at the ready for the knock-out blow, then I charged at the attacker and moved around him while avoiding a swing before slamming my foot into his leg and sending him down to one knee with his hands on the ground until I glared down at him as I backed up at a safe distance.

"Well, considering that you just attacked me by ambushing me from behind, I take it that you're the one who killed Tem and you knew that I had a cold so you planned this, which means that you were at the carnivore gathering earlier and the only ones who knew that were the other male members of the drama club-" I said and was cut off from saying anything else when the attacker unexpectedly threw dirt into my eyes.

I shouted in pain and stumbled back as I clutched my face, then something slugged me in the stomach and I leaned forward to grip my abdomen before a blinding pain exploded onto my head as I spun from the force of the attack and crashed onto the ground as I was dazed and rendered nearly unconscious when I was kicked in the head hard and groaned as everything went black. The next thing I knew, I opened my eyes and still couldn't see but the cloth covering them and the sensation of my wrists tied together as I was being dragged told me that the attacker was taking me somewhere to be killed and I was blindfolded so I couldn't see his face.

I started kicking at the hand that was gripping my ankle while Legosi was shouting words of encouragement, then I was swung around suddenly until I collided against what appeared to be a pillar with my head cracking against it and the attacker let go as I hit the ground with a dazed groan and felt something wet go down the side of my head while I didn't feel any pain at all so I assumed that I was either slipping into shock or my adrenaline was up as I weakly stood up and swayed as I grinned.

"Is that...all you got...you little bitch? You're an arrogant shit who thinks that you got the better of me, but you're wrong and I don't see what you're trying to prove by kicking the shit out of me...so understand that you'll have to kill me first before you can lay a finger on another herbivore and I'll stop you even if it kills me because I'm not afraid to die," I wheezed with a mocking grin.

Apparently, my attacker didn't take too kindly to being mocked since his head slammed into mine and I was sent into the pillar with my nose breaking while I was grabbed by the ankle again and dragged into the dirt before my attacker finished moving me and I stayed still to make him think I was dead as I could hear him leaning forward to sniff me, then I lunged forward and bit down onto his arm viciously before my attacker roared in agony.

_'Yeah, how does that fucking feel?!' _I thought darkly as I wrapped my legs against his torso and started putting him in an awkward headlock to try and choke him into unconsciousness.

The attacker seems to have figured out what I was planning and started decking me in the head with his free hand but I wouldn't let go as I took in his scent and memorized it so that I could locate him, and I could taste his blood so I had badly injured him and he would have his arm bandaged later on after he escaped, which was a nice bonus if I wanted to find him. After that, I was struck in the solar plexus and I was forced to let go of him before I heard him running away while I was just laying on the ground and started feeling woozy.

_'Shit, not good...I think I might have a concussion from the head trauma so what did dad say about that back in the Vault? That's right, he once told me that someone suffering from a concussion needs to stay awake and seek immediate medical attention,'_ I thought dimly as I moved my wrists over to my mouth and started chewing at the duct tape that was restraining my hands together.

I managed to break the tape and removed it before taking off the blindfold and put pressure on my injury with one hand while digging into my pocket with my other one and took out Legosi's phone, then I found Jack's number on the contacts list and tapped the call icon before the phone started calling him until Jack picked up.

"Hey Legosi, where are you?" Jack asked and I let out a slight groan while I struggled to stay conscious.

"Jack, I'm not feeling very hot so could you come and help me? I'm in the courtyard," I wheezed and hung up before putting the phone in my pocket and I weakly sat up as I waited for Jack to show up.

Pretty soon, I heard running footsteps and assumed that Jack was coming while I hoped that he would be able to keep it together when he saw me since the poor kid does not do well at the sight of blood, then the person arrived and came to a stop before I slowly turned my head and saw Jack just standing there near the walkway while looking completely paralyzed with his eyes bugged out and trembling in utter horror.

"L-Legosi, oh my god!" Jack shouted just before he ran over and knelt down to check on me.

"Jack...thanks for coming," I groaned dizzily as I looked at him with a dazed expression.

"Oh fuck, can you see straight right now?!" Jack questioned frantically and I grinned weakly.

"Yeah, I can see straight but I think I'm going to have a nasty headache for a few days once this concussion goes away," I wheezed as Jack saw the duct tape that was on the ground and appeared to have figured out what happened.

"Legosi, who did this to you?" Jack inquired while his eyes welled up and I stood up while wobbling.

"I'd like to know that myself...listen, I'm not going to be in school for a while so I want you to tell the teachers that I'm going to go home and take care of my grandfather who's sick. One more thing, could you return the textbook I borrowed from Collot? It's in my desk and I'm really counting on you to do this for me.

You know, I'm feeling much better after seeing you so you need to head back to the dorm because he might come back," I said as I placed a hand on Jack's shoulder and went to leave, but he grabbed my free arm to stop me.

"Who's he?! Shit, your face is covered in so much blood! Look, we need to go to the infirmary right now so that someone can take a look at you because you look so messed up!" Jack pleaded and I sighed as I looked back at him.

"No, if I go back to the main building, he'll kill me and then he'll come after you so I can't let that happen," I refused firmly.

"Then, where are you going?" Jack questioned and I grimaced while my head flared up as I kept providing pressure on the injury.

"It's better that you don't know, but I swear that I'll come back," I stated and Jack looked hurt, which made me cringe since I didn't like seeing him that way.

"What the hell, man...I'm aware of how distant you've been these last few months and you're not coming back, are you?! I-I wanted nothing more than for you to be happy...a clumsy guy like you growing up, making friends, studying for school, and getting a girlfriend...I wanted that, I wanted you to be stronger so that you could better yourself.

Why did it have to turn out like this? The stronger you get, the worse off you are in life and I can't bear to see that anymore..." Jack whimpered and he started crying, causing me to frown before I walked over and pulled him into a hug with one arm while he froze at the close contact.

"Jack, I'm sorry that you feel that way and I'm not strong because I want to be happy...listen, be extremely careful from now on because I don't want that bastard to come after you to get to me," I warned as Jack looked up at me with teary eyes, then I smiled warmly while I let go of him and patted his head before I walked away from him with my free hand up in a gesture of goodbye.

* * *

After I had left campus, I traveled to the subway and made sure no one saw me before I went into the male bathroom until I removed my suspenders, shirt, and tie while I turned on the sink and plugged it up, then I submerged my head for a couple of minutes to wash the blood off and removed my head from the sink to check myself until I saw a nasty gash on my head that won't stop bleeding and I hoped that I would be able to find sutures to stitch up this injury.

_'Jesus, I'm bleeding like a stuck pig and I swear that I'll find that asshole who used my head as a soccer ball,'_ I thought with a scowl as Legosi grimaced at the state of his head.

_"Connor, Jack was right when he said that you should get that checked out because that looks like a nasty injury," _Legosi pointed out in concern and I sighed.

"Yeah, and I know just the person to help," I muttered as I put my shirt and suspenders on before using the tie as gauze as I wrapped it around my head and tied it together like a bandanna so I wouldn't continue bleeding.

It wasn't pretty, but it would have to hold until I would be able to find proper medical supplies to stitch up the head injury and I would have to use the reptile car on the train since they didn't have a very good sense of smell because the mammals would be able to instantly pick up the scent of blood and call the police or an ambulance, so I went into the reptile car and ignored the stares while I used my shirt to cover my injury.

I knew that I would have to see Gouhin so that I could get advice on how to stop the killer since he was more experienced on how to deal with carnivores who gave in to their instincts and crave more of it, like someone who was addicted to drugs as I used to be back in the Wasteland after I lost my father and the train came to a stop until I left the reptile car and headed into the city before I found myself in the black market while it had started raining.

_'Now that I think about it, I haven't thanked him for helping me deal with the Shishigumi so asking for his help again would seem pretty presumptuous of me and I should buy something for him as thanks for his help before,' _I thought as I spotted a booth that sold bamboo grass and walked over until I cleared my throat to get the attention of the female turtle who was manning it.

"Excuse me, I would like to purchase some bamboo grass, please," I said and the storekeeper looked puzzled since it was not every day that a wolf would be talking about buying bamboo grass.

"Bamboo grass? There are many types in here so how many bundles do you want?" the storekeeper asked and I was rendered silent since I didn't know what kind of bamboo grass Gouhin liked.

"Um..." I trailed off as I was completely lost on what to do and the storekeeper seemed to notice.

"Sir, are you okay?" the storekeeper inquired in concern and it snapped me out of my train of thought.

"Sorry about that, just thinking," I stated just before I heard some large footsteps approach the booth and I tensed up since I had no idea who was behind me.

"I'd like to take my order first, miss. Fifty kilograms of giant bamboo and five bundles of Narihara bamboo while I also want thirty kilograms of Kuma bamboo grass with thirty kilograms of the same thing ordered a while back to dry up my Ruscus bamboo," a familiar voice announced and the scent of cigarette smoke made me look back to see that it was Gouhin, who was dressed in a heavy raincoat with the hood up

"Very well, you sure eat a lot Gouhin-san so would you like all of that to go?" the storekeeper offered and Gouhin nodded.

"Yeah, this is nothing I can't handle," Gouhin said before he removed his hood and turned his attention to me as the storekeeper was busy getting his order.

"I knew it was you, though you look like shit and you seem to be doing well despite your nasty injuries," Gouhin commented and I blinked at that before I smirked at him.

"Well, I feel like shit and it's good to see you again," I remarked and Gouhin chuckled before the storekeeper notified him that his order was ready until he took the pack filled with bamboo and flipped his hood up while he walked out into the rain and looked back at me.

"Okay, this will last me three days and it's better to make a move to get what you want, which is a good way to live," Gouhin told me and it reminded me the reason why I came here in the first place.

"Gouhin-san, wait!" I called out and the large panda halted as I hurried over and went in front of him before I bowed my head humbly.

"Look, I know that you don't owe me anything and don't have to agree to this, but I need your help because something happened at school and I need your advice on something," I told him and Gouhin hummed thoughtfully.

"Huh, it must be pretty serious if you decided to come to me of all people for advice, so why don't we head back to the clinic so that you don't catch your death standing out here," Gouhin offered and I nodded before we walked back to the clinic together while I hoped that he would agree to what I had in mind.

* * *

A/N Looks like Connor had his first encounter with Tem's killer and he's lucky to have survived, though the change that was made in that encounter is that Connor knows how to defend himself so he easily hurt his attacker with his CQC training before he was blinded by having dirt being thrown into his face and that can stun even the most well-trained soldier if they're not prepared for it, so the only reason Connor lost the fight and nearly died was that he was taken off guard and his skills have gotten a little rusty.

Anyway, one of the changes that I'm sure you're okay with is that Connor didn't kiss his attacker as Legosi did in canon so he was spared from that particular embarrassment, though he memorized the killer's scent and injured him with a nasty bite to the arm so all Connor has to do it track down the killer by scent and keep an eye out for anyone who has a bandage on their arm that looks recent, so talk about clever, am I right?

So, I noticed that nobody had sent me any reviews on this story for a while and it doesn't have to be a long one if you don't know what to say, just let me know what you think is all and stay tuned.


	16. Chapter 15

"So, there's a carnivore in your school who ate an herbivore, huh? Another sign that this world is going nuts but damn, that happened in your drama club? You are just the epitome of unlucky," Gouhin remarked as he was lifting weights with one hand while I sat across from him after I stitched up my head injury and bandaged it, which surprised Gouhin as he had commented that I was full of surprises.

"Well, luck is what kept me alive so far, along with skill but there's no doubt that the asshole who damn near killed me was the killer...he was also stupidly strong and that's why it's too dangerous for him to still be loose in public where he could kill again," I stated grimly and Gouhin arched a brow.

"And?" Gouhin asked while I knew that it was time for me to tell him the real reason why I went to find him in the first place.

"And I'm going to need a place to train so that I can sharpen my skills again since the only reason why he busted my head open is that he took me off guard by throwing dirt into my face and I have gotten a little rusty, though you could give me a few pointers and teach me a few things on how to quickly take down a carnivore because you're more experienced in something like this than anyone else in the city," I explained and wasn't surprised when he shook his head.

"No," Gouhin said bluntly and I chuckled.

"Yeah, I expected you to say that but humor me anyway and tell me why," I said and Gouhin sighed while he placed the barbell on the ground and sent me a stern look.

"I don't trust that you'll be able to keep up with my training routine and you've probably forgotten already, but I'm the psychiatrist of the black market so if I were to keep around a walking time-bomb like you, then I wouldn't be able to do my job," Gouhin pointed out and I grimaced as I recalled brutally killing those muggers and several members of the Shishigumi.

"I see your point since the day we stormed the Shishigumi's place was a very dark moment in my life, but I'm not proud of it and I was in a bad place during that time so I want to assure you that it won't happen again," I reassured with a bitter frown and Gouhin scowled at me.

"Stupid kid, it's been many months since you took out the leader of the Shishigumi and some of their members but ever since then, they've been gaining more influence in the black market so you'll have to come in and out of the market if you go through my training routine.

You slaughtered their friends and almost crippled their organization, not to mention that yakuza groups like them always hold a grudge against something like that so they're bound to find you and when they do, they won't give you the mercy of just shooting you in the face so it's your choice if you want them to skin you alive and cook you for dinner, but I'll be damned if I let myself get into any more trouble. Now, drink your bamboo tea and go back to school," Gouhin told me as he stood up from his chair and went over to his desk.

"There's a slight problem with going back to school...Tem's killer is still there and going back is a guaranteed death sentence since he will kill me or go after those I care about just to get to me so I can't take that risk, not that I'm saying that being here won't have its risks but I need to do this if I want to stop the killer and I'm perfectly capable of defending myself as you already saw back when we raided the Shishigumi's place," I stated and Gouhin groaned in annoyance.

"Okay, so how do you propose to sneak in here with that large build of yours? You're ten years too early for that ninja shit," Gouhin pointed out and I sent him an unamused expression.

"For your information, smartass, I could easily get in here before you even realize I'm coming but if it that much of a problem for you, then I'll live here and work for you," I said and Gouhin turned around to stare at me.

"What about school?" Gouhin questioned and I sighed as I rubbed the back of my neck.

"I'll figure it out but for now, I'll have to take a break from it until I find a way to juggle school and training so that way I'll keep training while not neglecting my education," I stated and Gouhin grumbled as he couldn't find a way to counter that.

"Shit, I've said this before but you're a real piece of work, though I still don't like this," Gouhin admitted and I started glaring at him.

"So what, am I supposed to just sit back and let Tem's killer just get away with what he's done while I have a target on my back for the rest of my life? No, I've been running from my problems for far too long because I didn't want to have more blood on my hands, but I realize now that sometimes you aren't given a choice and need to own up to your mistakes, so bringing Tem's killer to justice is my way of atoning for my past mistakes.

Look, I'm so tired from a lot of shit that went on in my life and I don't want to run away from that anymore, so the only reason I'm going to school is to protect those I care about...I am asking, no, begging for you to help me because I can't do this on my own," I pleaded with a hollow expression that made me look much older than I already am as I stood up from my chair, then Gouhin sent me a sympathetic expression since he no doubt knew that I was seriously tormented by whatever happened in my life, just before he started grinning.

"Geez, you have such low self-esteem but I can understand why you need to do this, so go ahead and take a seat because I just came up with a brilliant idea," Gouhin said and I perked up with a thankful smile before I sat back down.

"Thank you, so what's this brilliant idea of yours?" I asked and my question was answered when metallic clamps shot out of the chair I was sitting on while restraining my wrists, neck, torso, and ankles as I let out a startled yelp and started struggling.

"W-What the fuck?!" I exclaimed in alarm as Gouhin put down a remote with a big red button on it and he chuckled amusingly.

"You're sitting in the berserk patient chair and not even a polar bear could break out of that," Gouhin remarked while I was breathing heavily with my eyes bugged out.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I demanded and my face turned blue when I saw Gouhin pick up a sickle from his desk and started approaching me.

"If you're serious about going through my training routine, then show me your resolve since that's how we do things here...now, don't move and don't worry because this is like a ceremony in a way," Gouhin told me before he planted one foot on my chest and tilted the chair back until he raised the sickle and I screamed as he swung it down.

* * *

"Alright, now the Shishigumi won't be able to recognize you and I certainly did a good job, so you can come here and train without any worries so it's a good thing that you don't look as manly as you used to be," Gouhin said proudly while I was staring at my reflection in a hand-held mirror with a horrified look, seeing that my beautiful fur had been sliced off and a wolf with very short white fur and in boxers stared back until I started twitching and sent a seething glare back at Gouhin as a tick-mark formed on my head.

"Good thing?! You nearly shaved me bald and now I look like a sickly fox of some kind that should be put out of its fucking misery!" I shouted vehemently while I looked like I wanted to strangle Gouhin as he chuckled.

"Don't be so dramatic and you look fine, so listen up because this will be your schedule from now on. Go to school from morning to evening, train at my place from night to sunrise, and obviously you're going to run to my place instead of going through training," Gouhin instructed and I blinked at that while I placed the mirror down and got dressed.

"So, how do you suggest I get some sleep then?" I questioned dryly and Gouhin sent me a look for the attitude.

"Just sleep in class," Gouhin answered like it was the simplest thing in the world and I glowered at him until I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck tiredly.

"You know what, I'm not going to get into it with you since I still feel like shit from getting the crap kicked out of me, so fuck it," I groaned and Gouhin nodded before he had me get started with my new training regiment.

After that, he wanted to see what I was capable of in terms of close-quarters combat so he had me practice to sharpen my skills against a training dummy and was impressed when he saw how skilled I was with different kinds of martial arts, then he tested my experience in firearms and had me shoot different kinds of guns in a location that was soundproof until he saw that I was really good to the point of being a sharpshooter before my training continued throughout the night and he had me jog back to Cherryton academy.

Pretty soon, it was morning and I was tired while I had noticed that Legosi was in the same state I was with short white fur and I asked him about it, only he had replied that his appearance just changed into that after nearly all of my fur was shaved off and I theorized that our connection was getting stronger to where anything that happens to me, happens to Legosi as well and it got me wondering how strong our connection will get after a certain point as I had finally arrived back at the academy and spoke to the staff about my supposed absence until I went back to room 701 and opened the door before Jack and the others quickly turned and their eyes widened at the sight of me.

"Hey, I'm back and I'm sorry that I was gone for a while because some things happened," I greeted and Durham shook his head to snap out of it.

"L-Legosi, what the fuck happened to you?! Are you okay, man?!" Durham cried out in shock and I didn't blame him since I probably looked like quite a sight to him and the others.

"Yeah, I'm good and I'm going to go take a shower but the bathhouse isn't open at 7:00 AM so I'll use the washroom instead," I stated before I turned around and panted slightly because it was really warm in the dorm room as I went into the bathroom and took off my clothes before taking a shower to cool myself down.

Pretty soon, I was done and got dressed in a new uniform while I headed to class and made sure to write down my answers in class before promptly laying my head down on my desk and fell asleep, then I spent most of the day doing that until it was time for drama club and I had explained to Sanou my concocted story to draw off suspicion until I noticed that he was eye-balling me and didn't appear to be paying attention while the other club members were openly gawking at me as I cleared my throat and felt very uncomfortable by all the staring.

"Chief, did you hear me?" I questioned and Sanou snapped out of it before he started looking embarrassed.

"Oh, sorry about that and I'm listening Legosi...it's just that you look so different that I didn't recognize you there for a second and it's pretty distracting," Sanou told me sheepishly and I rubbed the back of my head.

"Yeah, some things happened and I had to cut a lot of my fur off but it's kinda rough because it's cold outside," I explained and Sanou sweatdropped at that.

"I bet and that's one hell of a fur cut so if I didn't know better, I would've thought you were a sickly fox of some kind. So, let me get this straight, you're going to be busy every night because you have to take care of your sick grandfather?" Sanou asked and I nodded.

"That's right, I need to take some time off from school so I'll try to be as involved as I possibly can in club activities but I won't have time to help you guys clean up for a while, which is why I want to apologize for bothering you," I said as I bowed my head humbly and Sanou held up his hands reassuringly.

"No, it's fine since it's not like you have much of a choice, right?" Sanou assured as he looked at the others, who were still staring at me.

"Y-Yeah," Bill agreed as Els smiled.

"It's okay, Legosi-kun, raise your head!" Els encouraged and I looked up with a slight smile of gratitude.

"Thanks, guys...so, since I can't help you guys clean up, I'll do my best in our activities together and I'll be looking forward to it," I stated and Sanou turned his attention towards the others as I grabbed my bag.

"Okay, that ends tonight's meeting and you're all free to leave, so see you all tomorrow," Sanou announced and everyone started chatting with each other as I slung my bag across my shoulders and pretty soon, I was dressed in a tracksuit and jogging through the city during my journey to Gouhin's place.

_'Well, I don't have time to relax since I'm going to be pretty busy for a while,' _I thought as I kept moving in the direction of where the black market is located.

* * *

Later on, Gouhin and I were staring out a window and watched carnivores going on with their lives in the black market while I was frowning thoughtfully and Gouhin looked at me.

"Legosi, you're a carnivore and you want to get stronger physically even if you're well trained so you know what that means?" Gouhin asked and I nodded since I knew what he was implying.

"Yeah, I would have to eat meat from the black market," I answered stoically.

"Exactly, a carnivore needs meat to build up a body that's suited for combat and it's just natural," Gouhin told me and I showed him an emotionless look.

"I know, but if I were to eat herbivore meat for the purpose of getting stronger to protect the herbivores, then wouldn't that be hypocritical of me?" I questioned and Gouhin sent me a look.

"For you maybe, but all the carnivore athletes and soldiers are doing it behind closed doors," Gouhin pointed out and I frowned as I recalled my herbivore friends and started grimacing.

"I'm sorry, but I can't bring myself to do that since it would be like eating my friends in a way," I admitted uncomfortably and Gouhin huffed.

"I knew you were going to say that...well, your body needs to experience just how unreasonably egotistic your standards are so your training is going to be much harder now," Gouhin stated and I narrowed my eyes at that.

"Very well, I need to prepare myself for whatever you're planning next for my training regiment and I can't afford to quit since Tem's killer needs to be brought to justice," I said in determination and Gouhin gave me a grin that told me that I would hate him for what he would put me through next.

I was proven right when I was sent into a room and a huge slab of meat was hung up in front of me before Gouhin gave me a white gi and told me that I was to sit in front of it and explained that in order to overcome my desire to eat meat, I would have to rewire my body instincts so that I wouldn't be able to crave meat so now I had spent the past three days coming to Gouhin's place and was locked up in the room with the meat inside before I had to do the fun part of sitting in front of the meat and trembled stressfully while Dark Legosi was snarling at me to give in, but I ignored him as it was getting unbearable to the point where I started feeling nauseous.

"Hey, Legosi, you haven't given in to the pressure, have you? Hey, you better not have fallen asleep! Hey, are you even awake?!" Gouhin shouted just outside the door while I was gritting my teeth and sitting with my legs crossed and my hands cupped together in the middle before I shot a withering glare at the exit.

"I'm awake and I'm trying to concentrate on ignoring the giant slab of fucking meat in front of me, now let me focus!" I retorted irritably and Gouhin laughed amusingly in response while I started breathing heavily with a queasy expression.

"This is your third day and you're still withstanding it, which is impressive but it's still not enough, now accumulate more stress and let it burn through you," Gouhin instructed before he walked away and I grumbled while Legosi was grimacing at the state of me.

_"Connor, I'm surprised that you're resisting something like that for so long because I'm not sure I would've been able to do that," _Legosi told me and I sent him a look.

"It's still not enough so once I resist a little longer, burden myself a little more, then I'll move on to the next step...ugh, it's like I'm going to go insane at this rate and I'm so nauseous that I feel like I'm going to fucking puke," I groaned quietly and Legosi cringed at the mental image that he was no doubt picturing in his mind.

_"Well, just hang in there for a little while longer," _Legosi encouraged and I sent him a slight nod of acknowledgment before my training continued for three more hours until Gouhin knocked on the door and unlocked it.

"Time's up," Gouhin informed me and I let out a quiet sigh of pure relief as I stood up and left the room.

"So, what kind of meat is that?" I asked as I took off my gi and was in my boxers before I started getting dressed in my school uniform.

"It's cheap meat I bought from the black market and it came from a Bactrian camel who died from an illness," Gouhin explained and I grimaced while I was putting my pants on.

"I see..." I trailed off with my face looking slightly green from nausea and Gouhin laughed at my misery.

"Geez, you look like shit and I don't think you can go to school looking like that so are you going to quit training?" Gouhin inquired and I sent him a weak glare that promised payback for the mocking while I put on my shirt and started buttoning it up.

"Hell no, I'll come back tomorrow so I'm going to go," I said as I was finished getting dressed and grabbed my bag before leaving the building and heading back to Cherryton.

* * *

"Senpai, you're looking ugly as hell so is there something wrong with you?" Pina asked while the two of us were in the storage room and I looked at him in surprise by what he called me.

"You know that I'm your senpai, Pina-san? That's surprising," I commented and Pina beamed happily.

"Yeah, well, the chief told me and it's why I've decided to call you senpai. Seriously though, are you okay? You cut your fur and you look like crap, so does that mean you have heart disease or something?" Pina wondered and I sweated a little since I was nervous about him finding out what I was really doing lately.

"You don't need to worry about me since, today, I'm just the guy who's showing you around the stage crew's storage room and I think it would be interesting if you wanted to be a part of the stage crew," I admitted and Pina hummed thoughtfully.

"Nah, I'm not interested," Pina said and I looked at him in surprise.

"Really?" I questioned and Pina nodded.

"Yeah, so sorry about that," Pina told me and I shrugged.

"Don't worry about it, now this box is full of the costumes we've used till now and that one over there has a bunch of materials inside," I said as I continued the tour with Pina until I picked up a distinct scent from him and paused as I recognized it.

_'The hell...is that the scent of a girl on him?' _I thought in confusion while Pina noticed that I stopped moving and looked at me.

"Hey, can I go now?" Pina asked as I made eye-contact with him and noticed that one of his cheeks was red like something had hit him with an appropriate amount of force.

"Your cheek is red so are you okay?" I questioned and Pina blinked at that before he felt the injury with his hand.

"Oh, this? I'm fine and it's kinda embarrassing, but there was this girl who slapped me...yeah, we were getting passionate like crazy and I accidentally called her by some other girl's name so talk about a stupid mistake on my part," Pina explained and started laughing while I sent him a deadpan look.

"You don't say...sounds complicated," I muttered dryly with a sweatdrop as I looked away from him and wondered why I have to deal with crap like this every day.

"Legosi-senpai, do you have a girlfriend?" Pina asked suddenly and I froze at that since it was a bad time for that kind of topic.

"Nope," I lied and Pina chuckled.

"Okay, but do you like someone?" Pina pressed and I started fuming while I glared at nothing in particular.

"No, now stop asking me because this conversation is over," I suggested irritably as I started walking away quickly and felt like groaning as I heard Pina chasing after me.

"But why and where are you going?" Pina inquired and I let out a sigh of frustration as he grabbed my right arm to stop me.

"Look, just quit being nosy because it's rude and it's annoying the hell out of me so just drop it," I retorted with a glare and Pina chuckled amusingly.

"Senpai, you're really pure, aren't you? You're attached to a single girl and it's impressive...very dog-like, you know? I'd like to know what it's like to love a girl in such a pure way so why do people get angry when someone isn't dedicated to one single lover?" Pina inquired as he let go of me and I frowned at him.

"Because it's insincere and it makes you look like an ass," I answered while I was wondering where he was going with this.

"But sincerity is subjective, right? To me, sincerity means enjoying life while being true to yourself and you know, morals don't really do us much good," Pina told me as he leaned forward and moved my lips back to show my sharp teeth while I stiffened up from what he was doing.

"If you were to eat me right now, I wouldn't hate you for it," Pina muttered while I was mortified by what he was doing.

_'Jesus Christ, the hell is it with herbivores doing this crap to me?! First Louis, then Haru, and now Pina and it's like getting eaten is some kind of fetish!'_ I thought in disbelief as Pina let go of my mouth and walked over to the window before shutting the curtains.

"Here, I'll shut the curtains and what's interesting is that when I'm alone with a girl in a dimly-lit classroom, I feel an uncontrollable urge to kiss her so do you feel like eating me right now, senpai? You've got a sheep ready to be eaten right in front of you," Pina told me as he took my hand and I was trembling with a nasty scowl and gritted teeth while my eyes were comically white with my veins throbbing and I was struggling hard not to strangle him.

"I don't eat meat and I don't have a girlfriend because I'm just a good-for-nothing wolf so enough is enough because you're pissing me off," I growled menacingly and Pina simply smiled at me.

"Really? Well, if you say so," Pina said before I made him let go of my hand and turned around to get away from this asshole.

"You know what, I'm hungry so I'm heading to the cafeteria!" I exclaimed with a tick-mark and left the building while I was seething and Legosi looked just as irritated as I was.

_"God, that guy was an asshole," _Legosi stated and I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I just want to strangle that fucking kid because he's just as much of a dick as Colin Moriarty was and that's saying something," I snarled under my breath and managed to calm down as I continued with my day.

* * *

A few days later, I was in the black market and had purchased a bag of meat before I headed back to Gouhin's place and walked through the market until I was taken aback when I spotted a kid wandering around all by himself as he was trying hard not to cry.

_'What the hell is a kid doing in the black market all by himself?'_ I thought in concern as the kid passed me, then I walked in front of him before kneeling down.

"Hey, are you okay and where are your parents?" I asked calmly with a kind smile, then the kid suddenly started bawling and I frowned as I gently shushed him to calm him down.

"It's alright, you don't have to be afraid so why don't I help you find your parents, okay?" I offered and the kid managed to calm down before he nodded, then I paused when I heard people cheering and hearing a few people say the name Shishigumi made me tense up as footsteps started approaching me from behind and came to a stop a few feet away.

"Hey, get out of the way! Did you hear me, boy!" a male voice demanded and I mentally swore up a storm since the Shishigumi was the last thing I needed to deal with at the moment.

"Legosi?" Louis muttered in disbelief and my eyes widened in shock since I wasn't expecting to hear him of all people in this place until members of the Madaragumi came into my line of sight while they looked less-than-happy, just before I grabbed the kid and held him close so that he wouldn't get knocked over.

Seeing that this was going to get ugly since I heard about the vicious rivalry between the Shishigumi and the Madaragumi, I stood up while holding the kid and inched away from the nasty street brawl that would no doubt happen soon before I spotted someone that held a resemblance to the kid and headed over to the woman who was looking for someone or something until she saw me with the kid and perked up.

"You found my son, thank you!" the mother cried in relief as I handed the kid over to her.

"Here's your son and please make sure to keep an eye on him this time so that he doesn't wander off again," I said and the mother smiled as she bowed in gratitude.

"Still, thank you for finding him and bringing him to me," the mother told me and I waved my free hand at her assuringly.

"No problem, just wanted to help a lost child find his mother so have a nice day," I reassured before I went to dart into an alley that led to a shortcut back to Gouhin's place and before I entered the alley, I saw Louis among the members of the Shishigumi while he was wearing a dark suit and holding a look of shock as he gazed at me before I went through the alley.

Seeing Louis with the Shishigumi and hearing one of the lions calling him their new boss, it all made sense now as to why he was missing for two months and why he quit school because he was now in charge of a criminal organization and I was so disappointed in him for getting into such a dark life but why the remaining members of the Shishigumi didn't kill him and decided to put him in charge was puzzling and I might never know the answer as I arrived back at Gouhin's place.

Soon after that, I was continuing my meat meditation and wasn't even flinching anymore since I had gotten used to an extended exposure of meat for an entire week of training as I sat in my usual spot with my eyes closed while my breathing was calm and even before I heard a knock on the door that led out into the hallway.

"Legosi, I'm coming in," Gouhin announced as I heard him unlocking the door, but I didn't respond as I stood up and reached over before simply touching the slab of meat with my hands as Gouhin entered the room and I could hear him pause as he was no doubt surprised by what I was doing.

"Gouhin-san, I know I'm in the middle of training but I want to ask you something," I said as I opened my eyes and looked at Gouhin, who was gaping at me until he shook it off and cleared his throat.

"S-Sure, so what is it?" Gouhin inquired and was apparently taken aback when I removed the slab of meat from its hook and held it in my arms as I gazed at him with an unreadable expression.

"The bodies you switch on a daily basis for my training, could you get them out of the fridge and help me put them in a bag?" I asked and Gouhin wasn't expecting that as he sent me a strange look.

"Why?" Gouhin questioned in confusion.

"Just trust me," I replied cryptically and Gouhin was about to argue while I had gotten dressed in casual clothes, but he let it go and did what I asked him to as we placed the slabs of meat into a large sack and left the building as it got dark.

We walked through the city and I led Gouhin to the beach while being lost in thought about the former lives that I was carrying and if there was one thing I learned over the years is that all life is sacred and everyone is equal after death since things like religion, politics, race, and gender didn't matter anymore once we pass on from this life so I remained silent as we arrived at the beach, then I placed the bag down and proceeded to dig seven holes for each slab of meat until I placed them in the holes one at a time while covering them up, just before I finished by sticking rocks in front of the makeshift graves and carving in the names of the former people I had buried.

"Wait, why the hell do you know all seven of their names?" Gouhin asked dubiously and I looked back at him before standing up.

"Well, you told me that I should buy my own meat so whenever I did, I would ask the shop for information on the animals while they were still alive but if there were shops that couldn't tell me anything, then I would go to hospitals and funeral homes for info so it's the reason why I've been late getting to your place for training," I explained before I gazed back at the graves solemnly.

"Joel-san was single and a popular customer in a bar that he went to on weekends, Linda-san worked part-time at a convenience store and still saved up enough yen to give her daughter allowance...these people had friends and families while living completely normal lives but since their bodies wound up in the black market, they probably weren't completely happy with their lives but-" I continued and was cut off when I felt danger and spun around to block a strike from Gouhin with one hand before he grinned at me.

"Congratulations, you've made it past the first step," Gouhin complimented and I smirked back at him as I knew that things were going to get more interesting from now on.

* * *

A/N So, Connor passed his first test and is now going to go through the next step of his training, but his jaw strength won't get weak like in canon because he sees his teeth as another advantage in a fight so he'll be also focusing on his jaw and body strength during training since he'll need every advantage he can get in the upcoming fight against Tem's killer and his experience as a wasteland survivor taught him that he'll wind up dead if he doesn't adapt to lethal situations so I hope you're liking what I have in mind right now.

As for Legosi spirit having the same short white-furred appearance after his body's fur was shaved off and Connor's theory about their connection getting stronger, the answer to that will be revealed later so I can't wait to hear your theories on what's going on between Connor and Legosi so let me know what you think is happening to them once you're done with this chapter.

Well, let me know what you think of this chapter and stay tuned for more.


	17. Chapter 16

"Thank you for accepting my invitation and I'm sorry if it's such short notice, Juno-san," I said after Juno and I sat down at a table in one of the school's rest areas and Juno shook her head as we had lunch together.

"Oh, I don't mind at all so what did you want to talk about?" Juno asked and I sent her an intense expression.

"I wanted to ask if you saw anyone in the drama club who had a large bandage on one of their arms and if it looked recent," I said and Juno hummed with a thoughtful look before she shrugged.

"No, I haven't seen anything like that as far as I recall so sorry if that disappoints you," Juno told me and I frowned slightly as I came to a conclusion that only made sense and it wasn't something that I was happy about.

_'Shit, the killer must be covering up the injury with his sleeve so that he wouldn't draw any suspicion, but I do remember that he looked like an ursid when he attacked me and the only bear I know of in the drama club is Riz so he might be worth investigating,'_ I thought and returned my attention to Juno.

"Don't worry, it's fine and this is going to sound like a strange question, but what do you know about Riz?" I inquired and Juno blinked at that.

"Riz from drama club? Not much since he tends to keep to himself most of the time even while he helps out with the heavy lifting, but he's nice from what I've seen...hey, why are you asking these strange questions?" Juno questioned in confusion as I finished with my lunch and smiled at her.

"It's nothing and it was nice talking with you, but I have to get back to the art department since we large-breed carnivores are going to be busy cleaning up the practice room so I'll see you later," I said as I stood up and walked away with one hand up to say goodbye while the other held the brown paper bag full of trash until I dumped it in the bin and continued with my day.

Later on, I had arrived at the drama club and was lost in thought as I helped clean up the practice room while I was thinking about what I had learned during my investigation until my thoughts turned to Riz before I frowned distractedly as Legosi was also looking lost in thought.

_"Connor, I can't stop thinking about Riz and how everything is starting to point to him being the killer, which makes me wonder why he would do such a horrible thing," _Legosi said and I looked at him out of the corner of my eye.

"We don't know that Riz is actually the killer since I can't prove that right now and nothing is linking him to the murder yet, so we shouldn't start pointing fingers at him unless we find enough concrete evidence that proves he's the killer...but we do know that the killer is an ursid and that narrows things down a bit but there are hundreds of bears in this school alone so that still makes things a little difficult, though we just have to keep investigating and hope that we find something," I muttered just before Bill passed me and paused to send me a look.

"Hey, quit mumbling to yourself and get back to work," Bill reminded me and I continued putting heavy boxes away as I looked back and saw the others working hard while Tao was struggling to lift a box.

"Fuck, this is heavy so what the hell is in this thing?!" Tao grunted strenuously and Bill came over to take the box out of his arms.

"Leave the heavy lifting to Bill the great Bengal tiger and keep cleaning, you feather-weight panther," Bill boasted with a smug grin and Tao sent him a dry look.

"Okay, you try it smartass," Tao retorted and Bill took the box, only he was having trouble lifting it and growled as he tried to pick up the cumbersome object.

"Damn, you weren't kidding!" Bill wheezed as he struggled to lift the box until Riz walked over and effortlessly lifted the box before he rested it on his shoulder.

"Don't push yourselves, cat boys," Riz remarked until he walked away with Bill and Tao sending him unamused looks for the 'cat boys' comment while the smaller students marveled at Riz's strength as I kept gazing at the departing brown bear and noticed that he was the only one who had his sleeves down, which made me slightly suspicious but it wasn't enough to suspect him of being the killer.

"Damn, brown bears are something else and Bill looks weak in comparison," a mandrill commented and Dom chuckled.

"Yep, he sure as hell does," Dom agreed and Bill started looking offended.

"Hey, I'll have you know that a carnivore's strength isn't decided by the strength of their arms, but by their jaws and that's one of the unspoken rules between us carnivores," Bill retorted while Dom tilted his head with a puzzled look.

"Jaw strength? How is that measured?" Dom asked in confusion before Bill smirked.

"I'm glad you asked Dom-senpai, so let me start by explaining that it's all done through a respectable game-" Bill started to explain, then he was cut off by Aoba who had a look of alarm and I knew why.

"Bill, are you out of your damn mind?! You know it's forbidden to talk about that game for a reason because you'll scare the shit out of the herbivores for even speaking about it!" Aoba hissed and Bill scoffed.

"You don't get it, do you? Felines always have to be the best carnivores around!" Bill snapped irritably and I tuned out the argument that was starting while I felt like groaning from Bill's stupidity.

_'Really, talking about the jaw war in front of the herbivores in such a manner? Okay, that dumbass needs to shut his mouth before he scares the shit out of the herbivores and causes them to distance themselves from us,'_ I thought dryly as I carried a box to one of the storage shelves.

The jaw war, a game that's a stimulating test of strength between two male carnivores where a strip of tape is put on the floor and the carnivores bite down on some rope while the both of them were on opposite sides of the tape until they start pulling and you can only win by pulling hard enough to where your opponent's head crosses the tape, but the problem is that a live game of jaw war looks pretty disturbing and that's why playing it in public with herbivores watching is completely forbidden.

Hearing Bill talk about having Dom and the other herbivores spectate during the game as he placed a strip of tape on the floor made me want to face-palm at how much of a moron he was being right now as I sweatdropped at how excited the male carnivores looked right now, then I held the bottom of my muzzle with one hand and frowned thoughtfully since I didn't see the point as to why jaw war was seen as entertainment to the other carnivores while I remembered playing tug of war with Dogmeat once and I felt depressed that I was never going to see him again since he died taking a bullet for me, then I was snapped out of my line of thought when Bill suddenly pointed at me with a fierce glare while I was taken aback by it.

"Hey baldy, first up is you and I so let's settle the score right now!" Bill demanded and I sighed before sending him a deadpanned look at how he still won't let go of the fact that I beat the shit out of him on-stage.

"Um, how about no since I'm not interested in this type of thing," I said dryly and Bill scowled at me.

"I didn't ask for your fucking opinion because everything that comes out of your mouth is a damn lie, not to mention that you're still the same crazy bastard who kicked the shit out of me in the stage performance months ago!" Bill shouted while he sat down and put the rope in his mouth as I pinched the bridge of my muzzle in exasperation while I walked over and sat down in front of him with the tape between us until I grabbed the other end of the rope and put it in my mouth.

"Okay, what the hell are you going on about?" I grumbled while I was less than eager in doing this until I realized something.

_'Wait, if I win this and go up against the other guys, then I should be able to find out who the killer is once I pick up his scent after I memorized it when he attacked me,' _I thought and felt more determined as my eyes narrowed into a steely glare and Bill grinned.

"Well, you look ready to compete so what happened to not being interested in this type of thing?" Bill taunted with his words slightly muffled thanks to the rope in his mouth, but I didn't fall for it as we both started growling quietly as my muscles became tense and my fur started bristling before the match started.

I quickly pulled forward into a sharp yank and much to my shock, as well as everyone else's, Bill was launched into the air and went flying past me across the room while he before he landed onto the floor face-first with a cringe-worthy crash while nothing but silence permeated the room with the spectators just staring with their mouths gaped open in stunned disbelief as the rope fell out of my mouth and I just reached up to feel my jaw as I tried to figure out what happened, just as Bill groaned and sat up until he looked at me with his eyes bugged out like I had two heads.

"No fucking way...you just launched me across the entire goddamn room so how the shit did you do that?! No wolf on this planet is that strong so how the fuck did you do that?!" Bill exclaimed incredulously as I stood up with my eyes wide, then I noticed a strange transparent glowing blue cord that went from me to Legosi after it suddenly appeared and the unnatural aura surrounding him made me more than a little unsettled as I backed away.

I just panicked and ran out of the room while everyone called out for me, but I ignored them and fled into the male dressing room before resting my hands on my locker door and hyperventilated as I tried to calm down from experiencing something completely impossible since wolves aren't supposed to be that strong and it was the blue cord and Legosi glowing slightly that was scaring the shit out of me.

_"Connor, what the hell just happened and what is this cord that's connected to us?" _Legosi questioned while he was looking more than a little freaked out and I just looked at him.

"I don't know...I just don't know," I admitted and Legosi flew over to mimic his way of patting me on the shoulder, only I felt something solid touching me and we both froze at that while Legosi started tentatively patting me before he quickly flew back with a startled gasp.

_"Connor, I felt that...I genuinely felt that!"_ Legosi yelped in alarm and I was struggling to figure out what was going on until my eyes laid on an empty soda can that was resting on a bench and I decided to test something.

"Legosi, try and see if you can knock that can off the bench," I instructed and Legosi looked at me warily, only I encouraged him with a nod and Legosi gulped before he flew over to the bench and swiped at the can.

We watched in collective silence as the can was sent flying off the bench and went flying into a wall before it bounced off of it and landed onto the floor with a loud clatter, just before Legosi looked at his hands while I was trying to comprehend that Legosi can now move things and I was unnaturally strong before Legosi looked at me with an expression of complete nervousness.

_"Connor, what's happening to us?" _Legosi asked and I couldn't give him an answer since it was apparent that we were changing and growing stronger, but I had no idea what will happen to us next and it scared the shit out me so I decided to keep the knowledge of my new jaw strength from Gouhin once I met up with him as I managed to calm down and decided to head back to the practice room.

* * *

After that, I had told everyone that I was done for the day and left before anyone could respond until I headed to Gouhin's place and we took a walk through the black market before arriving at a bar that serves meat and taking our seats at a table until we ordered beer and started chatting about how things were going.

"So, how has your investigation been going into finding your friend's killer?" Gouhin asked and I sighed as I gently rubbed my eyes.

"I have a few leads and need to focus on them while I had narrowed down the killer's species to an ursine," I answered and Gouhin hummed thoughtfully.

"Well, that would make sense based on your description of the doors to the crime scene being smashed open forcefully, especially if our killer had started neglecting his daily medication since bears are required to take special medicine to prevent themselves from getting too strong to the point of easily ripping someone in half," Gouhin surmised and I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, so if the killer started neglecting his medication, then he could've killed Tem unintentionally before his instincts took over and he ate what was left," I theorized and Gouhin smirked.

"You know, you could be an excellent cop if you decide to make a career in law enforcement once you graduate from school and become an adult," Gouhin commented before I scoffed bitterly.

"The hell with that because the police don't give a shit about what happened to Tem and listed him off as another 'unfortunate tragedy' or they would've arrested the killer a few days or two weeks after the murder, which makes me wonder how many more herbivore murders had been covered up by the police and the mayor all in the name of some bullshit peace," I spat darkly and Gouhin made a face at that.

"Kid, you really need to be a bit more optimistic but that's not important right now since you know why we're here?" Gouhin questioned and I nodded.

"Yeah, to start the next stage of my training," I replied and Gouhin smiled.

"Exactly, so what do you see around you that looks off?" Gouhin inquired and I leaned back in my chair.

"Striped hyena on my six who shows the later stages of meat addiction and is currently gnawing on a bone of an herbivore he killed before he moves on to his next victim since the meat he's ordered can't satisfy him anymore," I pointed out and Gouhin grinned.

"Good work, I've been tracking him for days and he's leaving so it's the perfect time to capture him, now come with me and watch how I capture at-risk carnivores," Gouhin told me before we finished our drinks and stood up, following the hyena who's left his table and exited the bar until we continued following him and found ourselves on a roof overlooking an alley while we watched the hyena that was below us.

"Legosi, how is your jaw strength at the moment?" Gouhin asked and I tried not to look tense as I shrugged.

"It's fine, so why the odd question?" I questioned and was startled when Gouhin suddenly grabbed me and I was thrown off the roof, letting out a panicked yelp as I righted myself and landed into a crouch to lessen the impact as the pain wasn't as bad as it could've been if I might've hit the floor face-first while I stood up and sent a nasty glare up at Gouhin, who looked surprised at my graceful landing.

"You dumbass, you can't just throw me off a roof like that and I'm glad that I'm trained to land into a crouch to lessen the impact or that would've hurt like hell since I'm not a feline that's designed to survive long falls!" I retorted hotly with a tick-mark and Gouhin appeared to have shaken off his surprise before he started looking stoic, just as I discovered that the hyena had noticed me and I became tense as I stood up.

"I know, you're a young canine who has learned to suppress his instincts but what you should be asking yourself is how do you plan on fighting him?" Gouhin told me as the hyena twitched with glowing red eyes while his mouth dripped with excess saliva.

"Who are you? I smell the scent of a young little puppy dog so I'll settle with some dog meat...you see, it's actually difficult to kill herbivores since they have really strong limbs like that one who had a lot of fight in him and gave me some nasty bruises," the hyena rasped as he unbuttoned his shirt and showed me his chest that had ugly purple bruises showing.

_"Connor, I really don't like the way he's looking at you," _Legosi admitted uneasily as the hyena started letting out feral growls that rumbled out of his mouth while his fur bristled.

"Their limbs were made to resist us so, if I get serious, then they're no match!" the hyena snarled while letting out the infamous giggle his species is well known for, telling me that he was about to attack as I got ready to defend myself.

The hyena lunged at me and I sidestepped out of the way before sending a kick into his abdomen that knocked him to the ground before he got up and swiped at me, causing me to quickly deflect the attacks and retaliate with fast vicious strikes to his kidneys, solar plexus, stomach, and liver before finishing with a roundhouse kick that collided against his head and the hyena spun around from the force as he hit the ground, then I approached to quickly knock him out when he suddenly lunged at me and I was forced to raise an arm when he bit down on it.

I gritted my teeth in pain but I noticed that his teeth weren't getting in all the way and saw my arm was thicker with more muscle and veins popping out as the hyena struggled to get his teeth out, surprising the hell out of me and Legosi from what I could see until I raised my arm above my head and the hyena was lifted effortlessly as I realized something.

"I see...my limbs as well, huh? Why is it that carnivores look the same when they bare their teeth? Also, I'm not a dog...I'm a wolf," I declared as I lunged forward to bite down on the hyena's leg and he let out a muffled yell of agony as I ripped him off my arm before swinging him with my head and he was knocked out when he collided against a wall with an imprint being created by the nasty impact.

I looked down at my hands with a stoic expression and clenched them as I concluded that something was changing inside me either because of the connection between me and Legosi growing stronger or something else was responsible, but I looked up to see Gouhin appearing stunned by what I just did until he shook his head and gave me a thumbs-up before I responded with a single nod.

* * *

A couple of days later, I continued the next stage of my training by helping Gouhin capture at-risk carnivores so that he could rehabilitate them and I was also using my training grounds to test my new strength, discovering that I could use my arms to lift a large solid statue and bend a metal pipe no problem while my jaws were powerful enough to crush steel and I was simply shocked that I was unnaturally strong and the thought of it made me realize that I had a big advantage against Tem's killer since I could easily overpower him, but now I was out with Gouhin again as we were after a red fox that attacked a zebra and Gouhin had me wait in the shadows to ambush the fox if he got away from him.

"Alright, kindly come to my clinic so that you can recuperate and do it for the zebra whose ass you just bit unless you want me to break your jaw by hitting you again," Gouhin warned and I saw the fox grinning darkly as he licked at the blood coming out of his nose from the right hook Gouhin gave him.

"What a harsh society we live in and is it so wrong to bite some herbivore's ass to control my appetite? It was just a little nibble-" the fox started to comment and was cut off from saying anything else when Gouhin attempted to capture him with a net, forcing the fox to quickly dodge and sprint into the alley where I was waiting while he also taunted him.

"Heh, that big guy's...never going to...get through these...walls," the fox gasped as he kept running until he reached my location, where I was perched on the railing of a fire escape and stood up to get ready.

"He wasn't alone, buddy," I announced before jumping off the fire escape, catching the fox completely by surprise and startling him as I tackled him to the ground and kept his head pinned with one hand to prevent him from biting me and my knee on his back while my other hand had his arm behind his back as the fox struggled to get loose.

"Shit, where the fuck did you come from?!" the fox yelped and he let out a cry of pain when I put pressure on his arm since he wouldn't hold still.

"Quit struggling or I will be forced to hurt you," I warned sternly and when he didn't comply, I lifted his head and bashed it against the ground to knock him out while also making sure I didn't kill him by accident because of my new strength.

After that, I clasped a muzzle around his snout and restrained his wrists with zip ties before carrying the fox back to Gouhin until we walked back to the clinic together and I proceeded to practice with a wooden dummy as Gouhin watched.

"Nice work, it would've taken me twice as long to bring him here without your help so, with me training you and you helping me with my work, it's like killing two birds with one stone," Gouhin complimented and I finished up before letting out a slow breath and backed away until I turned my attention to him.

"Grim saying aside, I'm glad that I'm well-trained in martial arts or I'd be getting work-related injuries and everyone in drama club would start getting suspicious as to why I would keep showing up looking like a tiger's scratching post...anyway, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," I said and Gouhin arched a brow.

"Yeah, what is it?" Gouhin asked curiously and I was about to say something that had been on my mind when someone knocked on the door and one of Gouhin's patients entered the room with a gym bag.

"Dr. Gouhin, before I leave, I just wanted to say thank you for helping me," the lynx told the panda, who perked up and smiled.

"Oh, I see you're finally ready to be discharged and have you stopped seeing those bone-in meat nightmares?" Gouhin inquired and the lynx nodded.

"Yes, I have," the lynx answered as we all headed to the entrance of the clinic and left the building until Gouhin handed the lynx a CD and two small packets of pills as we came to a stop.

"Here's an electronic music CD that'll help suppress your predatory instincts so always listen to it before you go to bed and take your medication twice a day but if you start getting the shakes, get yourself to a bathroom quickly and avoid eye-contact with any herbivores on the way," Gouhin instructed and the lynx smiled with his eyes watering slightly as he bowed his head.

"Doctor, thank you so much for your kindness and I'll never forget it," the lynx stated gratefully before he started to leave as Gouhin waved at him.

"Don't worry, you're okay now so be confident and if you find yourself not feeling well, then you're free to come back here anytime!" Gouhin called out to the lynx while I was frowning thoughtfully and the panda looked at me.

"Before you ask, that was someone who killed two ferrets while he was in a deranged state of mind so he did a great job recuperating, so what was it you wanted to ask me?" Gouhin questioned and I crossed my arms while looking troubled at what I just learned.

"I've had something on my mind for a while now and what I've noticed that you've never reported any of your patients to the police after they've killed someone and that man killed two ferrets, which makes him a murderer so isn't it dangerous letting him go?" I asked and Gouhin simply stared at me with an unreadable expression before he sighed.

"Legosi, I'm a bear and I don't want to play hero by demeaning other carnivores...it was pure coincidence that I was born a panda with no desire to eat meat so I don't think it's right that I have more opportunities than others just because of that fact, which is why I enforce my brand of justice by confronting carnivores head-on and get them the help they need.

I'm not going to lie, this job is very dangerous and it made me leave my wife and cub while I also lost my right eye and most of my back fur," Gouhin explained and I made a face at that.

"That is a lot of personal information I'm hearing right now," I pointed out and Gouhin frowned before looking away.

"Sorry that I've never told you, but what you need to understand is that the world isn't so simple that punishing criminals will make it a better place, and any carnivore can change if they want to while I want to be the one that helps them change," Gouhin told me as the sun started rising before I sent him a look and turned away.

"You might think that way and convince yourself that it is the better option, but the cruel truth of the matter is that some people are unredeemable and unable to change for the better...trust me, I learned that lesson the hard way," I said hollowly with a haunted expression before I walked away from Gouhin and headed to school while being nothing more than lost in thought.

Later on, I was in one of the academy's study rooms and studying for my upcoming test as I was frowning and looking focused while writing down answers, then my thoughts drifted to what Gouhin said and recalled all of the people I've killed over the years who were capable of things far worse things than what I've done until I scowled at nothing in particular and felt peeved at how Gouhin thought he could fix people with therapy when some of them might've taken advantage of that and most likely killed again for years without getting caught because chances are that a few of his patients are psychopaths and manipulated Gouhin into thinking that they were well again and continued killing while getting rid of the evidence and cleaning up the crime scenes.

While I was busy brooding about how Gouhin was being slightly naive in wanting to fix people who are long past broken, I picked up a familiar scent and was surprised when Haru suddenly showed up and sat down in the chair across from me.

"Hey, so a guy friend of mine wants to hang out with me tonight and long time no see," Haru said and I perked up when I realized that it had been a while since I last saw her, but hearing how she was going to hang out with a guy friend of her peaked my interest.

"Likewise, so how have you been?" I asked and Haru shrugged as she gazed at my short-furred appearance.

"I've been doing okay and I'm liking your new fur cut since it makes you look like a businessman," Haru complimented and I smiled slightly at that.

"I'm glad you like it because I had been thinking of trying something different and figured that a fur cut would be it, so who's your friend because now you've got me curious," I commented and was taken aback when Haru huffed and looked away with a peeved expression.

"Ah, what's it to you? Don't act like my boyfriend just because we slept together once," Haru retorted and I was a little insulted as I furrowed my eyes at the attitude.

"Whoa, I was just curious about who your friend is and you didn't have to act like that, so what the hell is going on with you?" I questioned and Haru sent me a nasty glare with a tick-mark.

"What the hell is wrong with me?! I've been sending you text messages for the longest time and you either reply once or ignore me altogether, not to mention that you always avoid eye-contact with me whenever we pass by each other and you're not even at school in the evenings!

I-I just miss you and I really hated that you thought I still had feelings for Louis while you just assumed my feelings and got away from me to satisfy your ego...I know that when we walk together, our step sizes are different but we still walked in the same direction, so why is it now that you're going to places far and unknown to me?

I really hate feeling so lonely and is it over for us?" Haru wondered as I could see her looking hurt and it made me feel guilty that I was pretty much avoiding her while I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck as my eyes softened regretfully.

"Shit, I'm sorry Haru-chan because I didn't mean to make you feel neglected but the reason why I've been distant is that I've been following up on my promise to get stronger, and what I'm doing is very important even though I miss you as well," I said and Haru frowned at me.

"But I don't want us to be distant with each other, I still want to spend the rest of my life with you," Haru stated and I reached over to clasp her hand with both of mine.

"Well, I'm happy to hear that and I know it seems like I'm avoiding you but I'm doing this for you so, please, just wait for me a little longer," I reasoned gently and Haru looked uncertain until she nodded reluctantly.

"Okay, I will," Haru said hesitantly until I let go and she left the study room while I was left to my thoughts after that.

* * *

A/N So, from what you all can see, the story is starting to drift from canon completely since I have a few things planned that you won't expect like the night club scene where Legosi and Connor encounter Melon for the first time and I will change events during that scene to something similar to what was seen in the movie Collateral starred by Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise to make it more intense, so I'm sure you know what I mean by that.

As for Connor's newly unnatural strength in his limbs and jaws, as well as Legosi able to move things now, the part with Legosi moving and touching things is already explained as their connection getting stronger and Connor's strength is something I took inspiration from the video game Murdered: Soul Suspect where the Bell Killer was inhumanly strong to the point of throwing someone across a room and easily bending a metal bat without straining themselves so things should be getting interesting in this story from now on and I hope you like the changes I've made so far.

Well, let me know what you think and stay tuned.


	18. Chapter 17

Time had gone by and I have spent it training or going to school as I had narrowed my list of suspects down to only one person that fits the profile I had created, but I needed to get him alone and confront him about the murder so I had to wait for the opportunity as I was currently in the drama club and helping everyone get ready for the new year's performance, then I took a moment to think about that and realized that nearly an entire year had gone by ever since I wound up in this world so I guess it's true when they say that time flies while you're pre-occupied with a lot on your mind.

_'Okay, this should work so I'll notify Dom about this...damn, it sure is nice to have time to focus on drama club for now without everything else getting in the way, and nothing beats being in charge of the lighting,'_ I thought as I saw Pina chatting with Kibi and Tao before I frowned since I still didn't know what to make of the Dall sheep.

_"Connor, Pina-san's supposed to be the star actor even though he's just a first-year, but I think he'll stick out with that face of his," _Legosi commented as I subtly looked at him.

"Even so, I need to avoid getting too personal and focus on doing my job as a stagehand," I whispered to him while I walked over to Dom and tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"What is it, Legosi?" Dom asked and I cleared my throat.

"Dom-senpai, I think we should use a red filter for Pina-san's spotlight," I offered before Dom perked up.

"Good idea since his body is white and it would be perfect for him to make him stand out more," Dom stated and, just at that moment, a wet and meaty sound sounded out throughout the room just as I recognized it and quickly turned around to see that Tao had torn off Kibi's arm and the panther appeared to be stunned by what just happened as everyone else froze and there was nothing but silence until Tao broke it.

"Wha...What?! Oh, fuck!" Tao cried out in pure horror as he dropped the arm, then Kibi collapsed while gripping the stump that was squirting out blood and he let out a shriek of sheer agony as the other herbivores clamored in horror and backed away while me seeing the dismembered arm brought back terrible memories of the wasteland.

"Oh shit, what the fuck did I just do?! Oh g-god, I...I didn't...oh god!" Tao stuttered in shock with a look of panic as the others stayed back in terror.

"Whoa, j-just calm down, Tao..." Bill trailed off nervously while Aoba didn't look any better, then Tao hyperventilated while he went to grab Ellen and she screamed in fright before I hurried over and pulled him away from her before he unintentionally made things worse.

"Tao, you need to calm down because they're scared and you grabbing Ellen like that will only make it worse so breathe!" I shouted while gripping his shoulders, then Tao appeared to snap out of it until tears welled up in his eyes and he nodded while trying not to cry until I looked at the others.

"Listen, somebody needs to take Kibi to the infirmary while I try to keep Tao calm because Kibi needs help right now," I instructed seriously, and that prompted the others to quickly head over to check on Kibi while I led Tao away from him.

"I-I could've k-killed him...I-I'm a monster," Tao whimpered and I grabbed his chin before forcing him to look at me.

"Hey, you are not a monster and it was an accident so don't ever do that to yourself," I stated sternly as I saw Aoba kneel down to check on Kibi, only the smaller herbivore recoiled in terror and it made Aoba lean back with his hands up.

"No, don't fucking touch me, you damn carnivore! I don't want to lose another arm!" Kibi hollered in a panic and Aoba scooted back.

"Easy, I'm not going to hurt you and I'll be careful because someone needs to get you to the infirmary, so please trust me," Aoba reasoned softly before Kibi shook his head while trembling from the shock of losing his arm and from the agony that he was no doubt feeling right now.

"I can't, I'm scared...I'm so goddamn scared...wait, I'll let...let Legosi carry me," Kibi groaned and I gestured for Bill to stay with Tao before I slowly headed over to Kibi so I didn't freak him out with any sudden movement.

"Don't worry, bud, I'll get you there and I'll be careful," I reassured with a calming smile as I leaned down to pick up Kibi and held him in my arms.

"Thank you..." Kibi wheezed and I looked down at him.

"No problem, so are you comfortable?" I asked and Kibi nodded slightly before I looked at the others and instructed, "Okay, I'm going to head to the infirmary so try to keep Tao calm and I also need someone to get Kibi's arm and come with me."

"Okay, I'll hold it for you and make sure that it's covered since no one should see it," Riz chimed in as he wrapped up the severed arm and held it before we quickly left the drama club and rushed to the infirmary while I made sure not to jostle Kibi too much.

"Hey...will they take me to the hospital?" Kibi muttered as we moved down a hallway.

"Probably and the nurse might call an ambulance," I responded as I focused on hurrying to the infirmary.

_'God, he's shaking all over and I've heard about incidents like this happening once every five years but to actually see it happen...Jesus,'_ I thought while I noticed that Legosi was looking very worried for Kibi.

"Don't worry, I'll visit you when I can and when you're out of the hospital, we can go downtown and get some antshakes so it's a promise," I vowed before Kibi chuckled weakly.

"I'd like that..." Kibi trailed off as we kept heading to the infirmary and finally arrived, then I helped the nurse lay Kibi down on a bed and Riz gave her the arm before we were sent out of the infirmary and the nurse told us that she would do everything she could before she called an ambulance until the door slid shut and I sighed while Riz took out a handkerchief.

"Jeez, this is a lot to deal with so here's a handkerchief since you got blood on your shirt," Riz said and I took the handkerchief, only my gaze was stoic as I looked at him and dabbed at my shirt.

"Thanks, I think I'd better wash it...so, you're the one who killed Tem, aren't you? Don't even think about lying to me because I'm good at reading people, so I'm the only one who knows that you are the one who's responsible for Tem's murder," I accused and Riz looked surprised for a second until he started chuckling.

"Hmm, I suppose so and that bite of yours ended up being your trump card, didn't it? I have to admit I wasn't expecting that it certainly took me off guard," Riz admitted while my eyes hardened.

"That was one way I could've found you but you would've hidden the injury with your sleeve so I made sure to also memorize your scent just in case, which is why I checked the male carnivore lockers in the drama club while everyone was busy practicing and eliminated most of them off my suspect list until I finally reach your locker and checked to find a bloody bandage that had been ripped up with a note from the killer threatening to kill me if I didn't stop investigating before your scent matched the one who tried to kill me earlier.

So, compare that to my attacker's appearance that I managed to see and everything I had discovered so far, I narrowed it down to you and your confession to attacking me sealed it for me," I explained and Riz grinned in amusement.

"I see, I'm surprised that you're openly confronting me like this, and I thought for sure that you accepted my warning...listen, I didn't mean to kill Tem because it was an accident," Riz told me before I started glaring at him coldly.

"Ripping someone apart and eating what's left isn't exactly what I'd call an accident, so did you really think that I would let you get away with doing something that fucking heinous?" I pointed out darkly as Riz tensed with his muscles bulging and his veins appearing as he raised his hands.

"So, you're not? Well, then I'll just have to silence you permanently," Riz threatened as he dragged his claws across the ceiling and tore through it while I started getting ready to defend myself.

"You could try, but the last time you did wound up with me giving you a beatdown before you blinded me so I would think twice before attempting to do this because it's not going to go like last time," I growled ferally with my muscles tensing like a spring and my body ready to leap into action, just before Pina came out of nowhere and passed us to the entrance to the nurse's office.

"Ugh, I can't wait anymore so if you'll excuse me, the guys wanted me to bring Kibi-san's bag to the infirmary so it's such a hassle," Pina cut in before he went into the nurse's office, then there was nothing but tension as Riz and I were frozen stiff like statues and sweating until Pina stepped out and looked at us.

"Well, that's taken care of and would you look at that, it's going to cost a lot to fix those scratches so don't worry, I won't tell a soul," Pina said while I was utterly flabbergasted until I walked over to him and grabbed his arm.

"Can I have a word with you please?" I suggested as I made Pina follow me several feet away from Riz and I got in front of him with an incredulous look.

"Please tell me you didn't hear anything!" I hissed harshly, feeling like I wanted to strangle him for doing something so stupid as Pina sighed.

"I appreciate the concern, but I can't lie and tell you that I didn't hear anything and I can't say that Riz-senpai being the killer is none of my business so that's why I interrupted you two, so I could get a say in all of this.

Well, why don't we all discuss this like civilized people?" Pina offered and I found myself following him with Riz right behind us as I was twitching and gritting my teeth.

_'What the hell is that stupid kid thinking, getting involved in this?! That dumbass is going to get himself fucking killed!' _I thought in disbelief as we arrived at the cafeteria and sat down somewhere private just before Pina winked at two girls that passed us and they squealed happily at that as I sweatdropped.

"Alright, I want a peaceful discussion so don't look at me like a predator, Riz-senpai," Pina suggested while Riz was staring at him unnervingly.

"I'm nervous," Riz admitted as I kept my eye on him and made sure he didn't try anything.

"I bet you are, now two students know what you did and there's one way you can calm yourself, brownie," Pina said just as Riz twitched slightly.

"Pina-san, I must kill you," Riz threatened and my eyes narrowed.

"Over my dead body, asshole," I growled quietly as Pina raised a hand to placate us and ease the tension that was occurring between me and Riz.

"Riz-senpai, I wouldn't do that if I were you because, if you kill one more herbivore from the drama club, then the police will have no choice but to conduct a hard investigation...it'll be a very simple procedure where they could tie up the carnivore members and end up searching you, something even an elementary schooler could do," Pina pointed out, and Riz's eyes widened before he started scowling with gritted teeth.

"Oh my, you look flustered and I can't help but feel sorry for you so I'll give you a handicap and won't tell anyone what you did since it's a hassle anyway, but you have my word since we're both in bad circumstances and, for now, I'll declare this as a victory for justice so I hope you don't get too bad of a rest tonight," Pina added while I was stunned by how ballsy he was being right now until he gestured for me to follow him and we both got out of our seats before leaving Riz by himself while he was fuming.

* * *

"Ah, I don't usually get this worked up and it's bad for my shoulders," Pina groaned while he was stretching as we stood on the rooftop and gazed out at the view.

"Pina-san, you got involved because you wanted to save me, right? I appreciate it, but that was highly risky and you could've gotten yourself killed," I lectured and Pina chuckled.

"Well, if you fought him, then you probably would've died," Pina stated before I frowned at that.

"You don't need to worry about me since he tried to kill me before and I quickly beat the crap out of him, though he did manage to catch me off guard by throwing dirt into my face so I'm not going to let that happen again," I said seriously as Pina hummed thoughtfully and looked at me.

"Either way, could you give me your phone number?" Pina asked and I nodded before taking out my smartphone and texting him my number so that we could contact each other.

"There, make sure you send me a text so that I know you're okay and I'm also going to need to borrow your pen so that I can memorize your scent in the event that the worst-case scenario happens," I instructed as Pina sent me a deadpanned look before he handed me his pen, then I held it up to my nose and inhaled deeply to memorize his scent just in case.

"You know what, keep it," Pina muttered while covering his face in embarrassment and he started to walk away while I scowled at that.

"Hey, your life is at risk so I don't want to take any chances right now!" I shouted at him, causing Pina to hold up his hand in acknowledgment as he departed until I put the pen in my pocket and headed to room 701 since class was over and I had free time with the guys until it was time to resume my training with Gouhin.

Later on, after night fell, I continued my training with Gouhin in the clinic and was using a pair of mechanical gloves to strengthen my grip before Gouhin tossed something on the coffee table and I looked to see that it was four small stacks of money each tied together with rubber bands.

"What the hell is that?" I questioned with an arched brow.

"Money," Gouhin answered like it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Oh, I see..." I trailed off and looked away while thinking, _'Yeah, I just going to pretend that I didn't see him show me a suspicious amount of yen."_

"It's your pay, so take it," Gouhin clarified before I looked back at him with a deadpan look.

"I'm not interested in your dirty money so you can keep it," I refused bluntly with a dry tone, causing Gouhin to bang a fist on the table while he looked more than pissed.

"Don't you dare assume that my work is illegal, you little shit! Listen, I never told you this before, but I usually don't charge fees for my patients since the large hospitals from the outside world invest in my clinic.

What happens is that whenever they have a berserk patient that they can't treat, they leave it to me to treat them instead and there are doctors who share my policy with patients so isn't that grand?" Gouhin explained as I stared at him blankly and pictured a doctor handing him a briefcase full of money.

_'If I had to take a guess, some of those doctors are probably just fans of his,' _I thought dryly as Gouhin gestured at the money that was on the table.

"Look, just take the money since you deserve it and we're both protecting the social order," Gouhin insisted before I stood up and put my shirt on.

"Well, I don't know if I deserve this much yen and I wouldn't know what to spend it on," I stated as I rolled my shoulders around and went to get my hoodie as Gouhin was silent for a short extended period of time.

"Say, Legosi, what is your family structure?" Gouhin asked suddenly, and I paused at that while Legosi froze nearby as I recalled my father and how he died and I also remembered pictures of my mother, who died giving birth to me until my face took on a dark expression and Gouhin seemed to figure out that what he asked was too personal for me before he flinched.

"Whoa, I was just curious so you don't have to tell me if you don't want to! So, do you want some bamboo tea? We're done training for the day," Gouhin said quickly to change the subject and I let out a somber sigh.

"Look...the thing about my family is that it's complicated so let's leave it at that, okay?" I suggested quietly as I put on my hoodie and zipped it up before taking the money and gazing at Gouhin stoically.

"Hey, are you sure that I can take this?" I asked before Gouhin waved at me.

"Sure, do whatever you want with it," Gouhin replied until I put the stacks of money in my pockets and grabbed my backpack.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I said and left before Gouhin could answer, then I noticed Legosi looking bitter about something while also appearing lost in thought.

"You good, kid?" I inquired, causing Legosi to snap out of it and nod at me.

_"Yeah, just thinking about my grandfather and how he raised me by himself...but I really don't have many fond memories of him," _Legosi muttered and the resentment in his voice told me that things were rather strained between him and his grandfather.

"I see...well, whatever is going on between you and him is none of my business so I won't pry," I said before things became silent between me and Legosi, the awkwardness so thick that you could cut it with a knife.

* * *

After that, I had gone to bed and woke up tomorrow before Jack decided to have me call Legosi's grandfather so that I could let him know how I was doing, which made me highly nervous since I almost knew next to nothing about the man and didn't know what to say to him since I had discovered that Legosi's relationship with his grandfather was so strained that he had not spoken to him in five years, which made me wonder what the hell happened between them to cause such a rift as Jack and I were in a stairwell and sitting on the steps while I was finished with writing a letter that I would send to Legosi's grandfather.

"Finally, think this is good enough?" I asked as I gazed at the letter and Jack perked up.

"What, you're finally ready? Let me see," Jack said excitedly before he looked at the letter.

"So, I followed the example you wrote and I think you should talk to him instead," I stated uneasily and Jack's eyes widened in shock.

"He's not going to get this!" Jack exclaimed in disbelief, causing me to cringe at that.

"Look, I haven't spoken to my grandpa in five years and it might be awkward to call him right now...so maybe you should talk to him," I admitted uncomfortably while Jack didn't appear to like that.

"Come on, you're acting like a damn pup so don't make your family situation worse than it already is because, right now, you have the chance to close your five-year gap with your grandpa...besides, if you're going to bring me into this, then you gotta be serious so I'm calling him right now," Jack declared as he took his phone out to call Legosi's grandfather, causing me to panic as I tried to take his phone away from him.

"Hey, hold on a fucking second!" I protested frantically, only I was too late and I could see that Jack had called the number on his phone and it started to ring.

"Here, it's calling so don't hang up," Jack told me as he handed me his phone and I put it up to my ear, then I gulped since I had no idea what to do until someone answered.

"Hello?" an older male voice asked and I found myself unable to say but how could I since this was basically a stranger I was calling and had no idea what to say to him.

"Hello? Who is this? Legosi, is that you and are you...doing well?" the man inquired hesitantly and I knew I had to say something to him.

"Yeah, it's me and I'm doing just fine," I answered awkwardly before Legosi's grandfather sighed happily.

"Hey, good to hear from you and you definitely sound different judging from how deep your voice sounds right now," the man said and I didn't know why, but his voice made my heart clench from guilt.

"Sorry I haven't been talking to you for a while so I just wanted to hear how you were doing," I stated and the man chuckled warmly.

"I'm also doing just fine, so is there something wrong?" the man questioned in concern.

"No, there's nothing wrong and I'm calling because I wanted to tell you that I've gotten a lot of money from my new part-time job and I thought I ought to send some over, maybe support you for a bit," I offered while I strangely felt a deep sorrow and it was like I was feeling someone else's pain instead of mine.

"Oh, you don't need to do that but thank you for the offer...you know, you remind me so much of your mother and she would've been proud to see how much of a kind and compassionate young man you've become," the man sighed out with his voice taking on a melancholy tone, which told me that Legosi's mother had died a while back and I felt bad for the poor kid since I knew just how painful it was to lose a parent.

"I'm sure she would be...hey, I have to go so it was nice talking to you," I said as I tried not to cry since it hurt so much knowing that I stole a kid's life and is talking to his estranged grandfather in his place.

"Sure, hope to hear from you soon," the man told me before I hung up and handed Jack his phone back before we stood up and started walking.

"What, you just wanted to send him some yen? That is something you would do and now do you see? There's nothing wrong with a simple phone call," Jack reassured, but I didn't feel as happy as he was right now while I avoided eye-contact.

"Sending him money was just an excuse...so I think I wanted to call grandpa all this time since I don't want us to be distant anymore after these past five years of not talking to one another," I replied quietly, then Jack chuckled as he gently elbowed me with a playful grin.

"Yep, that does sound convincing coming from you and it's what makes you Legosi, so the fact that you're not a pure-blooded wolf is what makes your kindness special," Jack complimented, though I had to do a double-take when I heard him say that.

_'So, I was right when I theorized that Legosi is a mixed-breed due to his large build and facial structure but I don't know what he's also descended from so I'll have to file this new information away for later,'_ I thought until I noticed that Legosi was looking depressed and guilty as he sluggishly floated alongside me and Jack, then it reminded me of how I stole this poor kid's life and I also started feeling depressed while we continued moving down the hall.

* * *

A/N Man, poor Connor and Legosi since they both have different reasons to be depressed where Connor feels terrible for taking Legosi's body from him and Legosi is depressed for being trapped in this situation to where he might never make amends with his grandfather so it's not surprising that they feel like that.

Well, let me know what you think and stay tuned.


End file.
